Swan Song
by PixieGirl17
Summary: MomijiXOC Set three years after the end of fruits basket Rosalie Laurent moves to Japan to study music and meets the beautiful Momiji. However there's her own family secret which she hiding and may hinder her from the life of freedom which she craves...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter One

For **PeaceLightVictory**

Rosalie slept on the plane for the entire time. Or most of the time anyway. It was either that or she had to talk to Erik for the entire time there. She would rather sleep even if she could've spent valuable time looking over the prospectus for the music course she was about to go on. Then again that would involve having Erik constantly blabbering into her ear and every time she conversed with him she wanted to punch him square in the face. No one really blamed her, there seemed to be a mutual agreement over how everyone felt towards Erik in the family. She couldn't wait to go live with her Japanese relatives again, with Erik sitting next to her she couldn't wait to get off the plane. She was about to lose her patience and she was afraid, along with everyone else that she might end up being detained in the Pilot's cabin. So she constantly focused her thoughts on the fact that she was seeing her relatives again. Her mother had come from a wealthy Japanese family and they were more than happy to accommodate her for the duration of her studies. She hadn't seen them since she was a small child and she needed to get away from Venice. She needed to get away from Yuri. She could've gone to a music college closer to home, probably a better one than the one than the one she was going to but she didn't want to have to spend any more time near that place. She had had enough.

She needed time away from the family. Well, from her father's side anyway. The truth of the matter was she needed to get away from Yuri, otherwise she feared she would become Yuri's slave. Being imprisoned forever in Yuri's grasp was the thing that she feared most. Every time she was close to her she felt like she couldn't breathe. Even when she thought of her she felt he body heat up. She leaned forward and calmed herself down before leaning back in her seat. She, no doubt, earned herself a look of curiosity mixed with concern from Erik but she avoided any eye-contact with him so that she wouldn't have to engage in a conversation with him. When he was a young businessman her father, Josef Laurent was in Japan making a new business deal between two companies. He was the son of a German businessman who had died in his late fifties due to a heart attack. Josef was only eleven at the time so was raised by his mother up until he was old enough to care for himself. Due to this upbringing, he kept himself healthy. Never indulging and always running at least for 20 miles everyday. Also due to being the only male in the family, with a mother and younger sister he had not grown as hard and firm as his peers at his boarding schools or company. In fact, it made him a more empathetic, gentle person.

While he was in Japan he had spent sometime with their families. One day he was out on a mountain walk when he came across a Japanese woman. He had never seen anything like her. She was tall, slender and had straight black hair. She was nothing like his mother or sister, but he felt like there was something familiar about her, as if there was a part of him that had been lost from him for years and had finally found it in her. It was like she was from another world. However he didn't have the courage to say anything to her other than 'hello', when he passed her by, but fate had other plans for him. On his last night in Japan, he was still thinking about her. He went to a concert with the new company he made a deal with to celebrate. He found most of it to be boring until the very end when the same Japanese woman he passed on the mountain path get up on the stage and played a piece on the piano. He had never heard something so beautiful in all his life. As soon as it was finished he rushed backstage and requested to see the woman. He had been told that she was at the after party. He searched for her relentlessly through the crowds of people. Some people hindering his pursuits by shaking his hand and congratulating him on his deal.

Before he gave up hope on finding her he found her talking to the founders. She smiled at him, telling him without any words that she knew who he was. That she remembered him. One of the businessman spotted his, more kind than the others and introduced them to each other. That night he talked to no one but her and discovered the name of the woman who would soon become his future wife as well as being the daughter of one of the partners at the company. Yoshiko Sohma.

"ROSALIE!" Someone bellowed in her ear. She woke up with a start and glared at the person responsible, not to add the most likely suspect.

Erik shrunk in his chair. "Please don't hurt me." He replied in a weedy voice when she glared at him ferociously.

"Then try not to wake me up when I'm trying to sleep dammit!" She growled.

"But I was bored." He whined. "You're not talking to me..."

"When people don't try to talk to you, Erik." She began steadily. "It means that they don't want to talk to you so it is best not to engage in a conversation with them. So it is always best if you keep you big fat mouth shut!"

"AHHHHHH! ROSALIE'S BEING MEAN!" Erik cried melodramatically.

"IF YOU WANT TO HARASS SOMEONE WHY DON'T YOU GO FLIRT WITH SOME AIR HOSTESS LIKE YOU USUALLY DO?" She screamed.

"They told me I had to stay in my seat or the pilots would intervene!" He sobbed.

Erik Laurent was the notorious Casanova in the family along with the one who everyone hated and dreaded as much as Yuri but for different reasons. Always trying to flirt with every woman he sees in sight, even close relatives or school girls he passes in the street. Genetics and laws of the land have never seemed to apply to him. She just hoped, God knows why, that he never took it further than flirting. Then again what she would call his form of flirting would be closer to sexual harassment.

"Are you two fighting now, even when we're 20 minutes from landing?" Said a solemn voice from across the aisle. Rosalie glared at the serious faced man from across from her who was reading a newspaper he was unlikely to have looked up from at any point during the flight.

"For your information I've done quite to not have had an outburst sitting next to this idiot for six hours."

William turned a page. "That's no excuse." Before she could shout at him as well he held up a hand. "And I advice you not to say another word you're already attracting enough unwanted attention and one of you may cause a scene if you continue to increase your stress levels any further."

Rosalie pouted and got back in her seat. She hated to admit it but William was right, most of the time he was right as he had an abundance of common sense as well as intelligence. He was the serious one in the family as Erik was the melodramatic one. There was something cold and mysterious about William which seemed to be unspoken of throughout the family. He reminded her for her own father after her mother died. He completely shut himself off from everyone else, throwing himself into his work. There would always be a ghost of a smile when he saw Rosalie but it never became more than that. She almost felt as if it was her fault her mother had died.

"So Rosalie." William began brightly, interrupting her thoughts. "Are you looking forward to studying music?"

She moaned, knowing that she would have to comply unless she wanted another lecture from William she had a feeling he was only here to make sure she didn't kill Erik.

"I'm looking forward to having an excuse to not have to talk to you." She hissed, holding onto the arms of her seat. Erik leaned his elbow on the arm and leaned forward.

"Now, now that is not how you talk to your cousin."

"Not to one you don't want to punch in the face." She retorted through clenched teeth.

"Now what have you always had against me, Rosalie? Tell me and let us resolve it and be the the loving cousins we were destined to be!"

"How hurt would you feel if I said I'd rather eat a cockroach?" She snapped.

"Rather hurt actually, but since this is a hypothetical question I'll let it slide this one time." He replied carelessly.

"It isn't hypothetical I assure you!" She replied angrily.

"Rosalie." He chided. "That's disgusting. Besides where am I going to find a cockroach on this plane in order for you to carry out this deed?"

~ (***) ~

Momiji waited with Nana Sohma for European relatives to arrive. The family had been told that the daughter of Yoshiko Sohma was going to be coming to Japan to study music at the same place as Momiji. He had to admit he was pretty excited to meet her. Especially when he heard that she was half-German, half-Japanese like him and was also into music. Now that was something. The day before he begged Nana to show him a picture of her if she had one. In the end she showed him all the pictures she had of Rosalie Laurent. The first as a plump, pretty baby with violet coloured eyes. Then to a toddler with dark auburn ringlets, her face troubled and serious. Then as a 7-year old. She seemed even sadder in this one. Apparently this was around the age her mother died so he could understand the unspeakable sadness of losing a parent. Then as a 10-year-old when she is playing a piano. She had a small smile on her face, there was sunlight beaming through the window and Momiji almost mistook her for a angel. The last one was her as a 15-year-old in a purple, floral dress. There was a mountain range behind her with her now long, curly auburn hair flying in the wind.

"Nana? Do you think she'll like me?" He asked thoughtfully.

The elderly woman looked at her great-nephew and smiled knowing the tune of his words. "I think she would love you, Momiji."

"Huh? I wasn't asking that." He protested, blushing.

The old woman chuckled. "No child. I meant that even though she distances herself and doesn't seem like she gets along with others. I believe she would really come to love you, you're very much like her mother you see and they were very close."

Momiji blinked at this. He had only met his aunt a few times but never really thought himself as similar to her. She seemed so quiet, so wise. He on the other hand thought differently from other, had some wisdom in him but still not as much as her and was no where near quiet. No, he was now where near to being like this woman. She certainly was a much better musician than he was. He could remember the recitals she would play and was completely enthralled by them. He couldn't wait to hear Rosalie's. He could imagine that she had her mother's talent as well as her beauty. The one thing that drew him to her was her eyes. She had the same eyes as her mother. Usual and allusive but they drew you in. Tempting you with the secrets that hid behind them. He could imagine her to be a very wise person.

"Ah there she is."

Momiji looked up as saw the same girl, only was now a woman dressed in a pair of knee length, torn shorts and a baggy jumper that went off the shoulder. She looked angry, then he saw a young man not much older than her trying to engage her in a conversation but she wasn't having any of it. Another man, who looked a bit older than the other two following them close behind, with a serious, monotone expression which mirrored that of Hatori. When Rosalie caught sight of her Grandmother she came running.

"Nana! I'm so glad to see you."

"Ah, child. It's been too long since I last laid eyes on you. You're looking more like you're mother every time I see you."

At the mention of her mother she had a sad but thoughtful expression in her eyes. Her bright smile cooled slightly. Her Nana quickly turned to Momiji.

"This Momiji Sohma a cousin of yours, he's going to the same college as you to study music also. I thought I should introduce you both. He also wanted to meet you anyway."

Rosalie turned to the young man with blonde hair and stared at him for more than a few moments. She would definitely say he was handsome. There was also something in him that awaken something within her that she hadn't felt before. It was something that was there but was waiting for the right moment to arise. He held out a hand graciously and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Momiji. It's wonderful to finally meet you, Rosalie. I have to say that's a beautiful name."

She resisted from giggling slightly. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you too. It's nice to know they're be some I know already on the course. I was kind of afraid of having to make new friends."

"Don't worry. I just wanted to say I actually admire your mother's talent. She kind of made me pursue music in a way."

"Really? You heard her play?" She asked in a surprised voice.

He blinked. "Well yes. Surely you heard her play at some point."

She nodded. "Yes, of course I have. It's just I-I just found it surprising."

A voice whispered in her ear menacingly, trying to make her more uncomfortable. "Looks like someone finally fell head over heels-" Erik didn't finish the sentence as Rosalie bashed him over the head. She turned to Momiji who gave her a look which made her panic.

_He's going to think I'm some sort of crazy girl with anger management now._

Suddenly he erupted into laughter. "Well I sure hope you don't do that to the piano."

"Oh heaven forbid." She replied.

"Hello, I'm William Laurent. We're grateful that you're taking in these troublesome children during their studied here." William interjected.

Nana waved it off. "It's no trouble. I'm just glad to see my granddaughter again. It's no trouble at all."

He nodded. "I'm glad. Unfortunately I have some business here which I have to attend to. I hope you'll be alright for transportation."

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

He nodded to Nana Sohma and then finally turned to Erik and Rosalie. "Please don't bring this woman any grief and try to kill each other."

"Yeah alright." She replied grudgingly. Erik gave her a look of panic.

"Why do you sound so reluctant to promise that?"

"Because I am."

William had already walked off into the crowds to make a retort. So now they were both in the hands of Nana. Poor Nana.

"Now, we've both been invited to the House of Sohma for a welcoming dinner. So I'll you back to my home first to drop off your things and for you to get changed. I hope you're hungry, the cook warned me it's going to be the biggest feast he's mustered in many years."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

A/N: I'd just like to shout out a thank you from everyone reading the story and that I'll be dedicating chapters to people who review, favourite and alert the story. If you've read any of my other stories you may already know this.

Chapter Two

For **I'm Not What I Seem**

_Death darkens his eyes, and unplumes his wings,_

_Yet the sweetest song is the last he sings:_

_Live so, my Love, that when death shall come,_

_Swan-like and sweet it may waft thee home._

_**~ George Washington Doane.**_

~ (***) ~

Rosalie sat silently in the car trying to ignore the constant bickering going on between Erik and Momiji. They had become the long lost brother's neither of them ever had. That or the civil partner neither of them been able to find. She could see for sure that they were going to get along. She massaged her temples and closed her eyes with a frown on her face, trying to block out the noise. At first he seemed like a calm sensible individual and one that she hoped she would be able to get along with. His looks were so soft, his eyes seemed so gentle that anyone could mistake him for having a calm contenance. However after spending a few hours with him in the car, this very much changed, it seemed that like Momiji had a very excitable nature. One that was almost worse than that of Erik's. He would jump up and down about the slightest thing. Cookies. The latest fashion. Tohru, probably his girlfriend. Anything seemed to be able to excite him. Just. Like. Erik. It made her want to bang their heads together, not that it would shut them up. It would probably make them talk even more. What annoyed her the most was now Erik had even more of an excuse to act as he usually did and instead now he had someone to act excitedly with rather than an extra person to hit him around the head for acting like an imbecile. William shouldn't have left them alone together, she was now becoming afraid that she would soon be put on trial for homicide.

Nana leaned down for as much as her back would allow with a concerned look on her face.

"Rosalie? Is something the matter?"

Rosalie looked up drowsily and blinked. She found the family eyes of her Grandmother which her mother had inherited staring down at her with concern. Although hers didn't seem as bright and deep as her colour still was. Her grandmother's eyes were more of a lilac rather than a violet now. Time and experience had made her colour age and decay until on the day of her death the remains of her physical existence would wash over any sign of life with a clean white blanket like the ones used in a hospital when someone had passed and threw a blanket over their face almost as if they weren't there. She wasn't used to people being so worried about her. She was more used to having to be concerned for herself rather than anyone else taking the time or energy. Most of the people in her family consisted of people who were either self-absorbed or plain spiteful. Another reason why she wanted to get away from Venice. She had enough of all the family politics. She hoped that after a few months or years away from them that maybe they wouldn't seem so bad after she returned. A bad which was likely to fail. For the others left over they usually knew that it was because she was getting frustrated by Erik's antics and massages her temples. It was something which caused everyone to have a migraine. She wasn't the only who hated Erik in the family. In fact she couldn't think of a single person who could put up with Erik, so much as get along with Erik. She even suspected that there were many other family members who tried to throw him out a window or held him at knife point. She was sure that she had heard a story somewhere where Faron had tried to throw a table at him. Then again, Faron was the most violent member of the Laurent family.

She wasn't aware of this but there was another person in the car who was acknowledging her behaviour was some concern also. She was never used to attracting attention, although if she did she knew it meant that whatever it was that she was doing she needed to stop, since it meant that it wasn't a good thing. Mainly because she usually attracted Yuri's attention rather than anyone else's and Yuri was the worst person to have paying attention to your every movement. It was something she would've found quite surprising, with regards to his behaviour so far. Momiji had stopped bantering with Erik for a few moments to gaze at the violet-eyed girl who seemed so distracted, her eyes misted with some emotion which she didn't seem to recognise. She only realised until she actually stopped hearing the noise which was causing her to have a headache and to see what had happened (since it took a lot to actually shut Erik up. That or a really terrible death threat). He had no idea of what it could be that was on her mind since it was something which seldom visited her there.

He tilted his head knowing that look which was one that was all too familiar to him. He had seen it countless times on the faces of his family, and even on Tohru on the odd occasion when they were thinking about terrible times which had long passed. He even saw it on Akito when he saw her waiting outside the hospital. It was look that he had not seen in a long time. It was only shortly after it was all over that this expression was marked on some of their faces. He knew full well of the burden of dark family secrets and of being locked away from the outside world. But there was something else there as well. Something had changed. Something around her had changed. Maybe she was actually running away rather than seeing her family again. It always felt so lonely to be entrapped from those freedoms which so many other people could enjoy. This girl had that same looked on her face at that precise moment. She was hiding something, a secret which caused her to withdraw from society completely, to distance herself from others in fear that they would see the real her and the hidden secrets which lingered within. He knew exactly what that fear was: rejection. She was afraid that if she tried to open herself up to someone that they would reject her out of disgust.

He reached out and gripped her wrist. The gesture caused there to be almost an electric shock between the two of them. Neither of them could believe that he did something so sudden and forward for a moment but they almost seemed to sink into it and all of that was forgotten. Her skin was so smooth like cherry blossom petals in the spring. Though before he thought that it looked as smooth as Japanese silk. He could feel her shaking more than he was. She had the same calm, peaceful expression his mother sometimes had on her face when he saw her. Hatori was never able to restore her memories nor did Momiji approach her and tell her the truth. It was better for things to remain left as they did, things couldn't change, the past could never be changed. Erik glanced Rosalie's direction to capture her reaction, it wasn't often that she ever allowed someone to touch her. It was some strange phobia she had but he knew the reason behind it. He even doubted that she ever had a boyfriend. It was rather slow and hadn't noticed it for a few moments. That confirmed as to how little contact she had with people, let alone men in general. She first looked down at the place where she was being touched and as if following a piece of string looked up the arm into the face of the persons next to her. She stared at the young man touching her hand, who once again looked at her so gently with a small smile on his face. A smile which told her that everything was going to be okay. That it was alright to cry. That he would always be there is she needed someone to hug her.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

She hesitated and then nodded. "Yes...I'm fine. I'm just thinking..."

Her voice then trailed off like the spring wind. A dynasty seemed to pass before she answered again. "How annoying Erik can be."

"HEY!" Erik jumped up from his seat. "I thought you were going to finally say something heartfelt and profound!"

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at Erik. "What are you talking about you buffoon?" She grumbled.

"BUFFOON? BUFFOON?"

Nana started waving her hand urging Erik to sit down. "Now, now. Erik. The driver will start wondering what's going on in the back. Why don't we all settle down, after all we don't want to be hyper when we arrive now do we?"

"Awww. Momiji this party's going be fun, isn't it?" Erik begged, flickering his eyelashes.

Momiji nodded with a bright smile on his face. "Yeah. Everyone's going to be there. My cousin Kyo has a girlfriend called Tohru who I haven't seen in ages and can't wait to see. He took her with him when he went around training which everyone thinks is selfish of him. They're all especially excited to see you, Rosalie, considering that you're related to us but have never met us before."

Rosalie looked away regretfully and out the blacked-out window. She wanted to have stayed there. There was a part of her which almost allowed her that but the fear of rushing into such a moment made her scared. She wasn't entirely sure what had come over her actually, to let someone even brush their hand against herself made her feel paranoid. She would've liked to meet them sooner also but she knew the reason for why she had been unable to meet them. Yuri. Yuri had practically made it impossible for her to leave Venice to see her other relatives. Yuri was the head of the family and therefore any rule made was one that must be followed obediently and without question. Then again her being here was enough to be considered the rebel of the family. Yuri acted like they were of no importance to her. The Laurent were her real family. But they never felt like a family to her. More like a firm rather than a family. A firm was cold like a miserable autumn morning. A family was warm like a fire on a winter evening. The Sohma's were her mother's family therefore of no consequence. It was a great pain which year by year made the void all the more bigger. As time passed it made it more difficult to be able to see the family she had ever met. She would reach out across the ocean calling out for her lost family to save her. To rescue her from her prison. This opportunity felt like her only chance to finally see them and to escape from Yuri's grasp.

She turned to Momiji with a small smile and nodded. "I've also been waiting to finally meet my family. Unfortunately, I've been having trouble being able to get away from my father's family. We're all quite close actually."

"Hm...We're all...SO CLOSE!" Erik cried pulling Rosalie into an iron grip.

Rosalie was about to punch him in order to release herself from the grip until the driver interrupted them when he told them they had arrived at their destination. They both seemed to be frozen in a stereotypical slapstick pose where she had her hand held in the position as if to punch him and he had his hand up in mock surrender leaning far back against the window. A look of relief crossed Erik's face and leaned back in his seat with a notable smirk on his lips. Rosalie slumped back in her own wishing that she had the opportunity to relieve some of her stress and frustration on someone. Though Rosalie did breathe a sigh of relief at the announcement since then she wouldn't have to stay in the car another moment longer. She couldn't wait to get out of this car, it felt more like a nightclub rather than a classy limo drive. She sat back against the leather seats trying to catch her breath and waited for the car to stop so that she could jump out. She had to wait a few minutes though for her Nana to get out the car. With her old age she wasn't as energetic and fast as she used to be. Rosalie smiled sadly as she watched the driver help her Nana out the car and gave him a grateful nod.

She remembered very distantly when she would run in the fields with her on summer trips her parents would make to Japan or the mountains walks she was still able to manage. Now, she knew that those days were long gone. It did make her a little sad but then again it was only a matter of time until the day came when you could no longer walk up that mountain that you seemed to march up when you were a child. He tipped his hat and held out a hand to help her out. She blushed slightly and accepted it, not wanting to make a fuss and to give Erik another reason to go on a rampage about her lack of ladylike manners. She should have been used to this considering that this wasn't the first time someone had offered a helping hand out of the car despite the fact she was more than capable of doing so. She looked around her, absolutely enthralled by the world she had stepped Laurent family were rich but she had never seen an estate at this size with so many houses so closely built to one another. Her memories of staying with the memories must've been more distorted than she thought. There were gardens filled with fountains and little waterfalls. Trees filled with cherry blossoms and little white flowers she had forgotten the name of. She had never seen anywhere more beautiful than here. The warm spring breeze brushed against her hair and embraced her like the maternal hug which she had been lacking for so many years. She felt an arm wrap around her and looked up to find Momiji leading her to the house with people awaiting the lost daughter who had finally made her way home. She had to admit when she looked back on that evening she was sure for a moment, just a moment she allowed herself to sink into that comfortable half-embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Three

For **DarkMarionette182**

The Sohma family waited for Momiji to bring back the new or not so new addition to the family. Tohru was especially anxious to meet her, despite the fact that she had not yet married Kyo she now felt like a part of the family and she was always excited to meet relatives which she had never met before. She was surprised that the rest of the Sohma family had never met her before. It all seemed so mysterious. She slowly ran an eye over the them to see if she could find anything from their facial expressions. Kyo looked typically quiet and seemed to be brooding over something. She sometimes wanted to reach out and smooth the unsettled expression on his face. Or maybe even kiss his brow and mostly this face would soften altogether. After living with him for three years she had gotten to know his likes and dislikes. What angered or annoyed him and what he didn't mind. Kyo wasn't really bothered about coming along but since this was something which seemed important to Tohru he decided to come along. She turned to Yuki who seemed rather still but also had a distant expression on his face. He had brought Machi along, they had now moved in together into his apartment and had gotten into the university he was attending which made everything convenient with carpooling and shopping. She was happy for Yuki to be able to find someone.

Ritsu and Mitsuru who had now been seeing each other since before Kyo and Tohru started dating were attempting to reassure each other that they both looked fine. She was sure that they weren't going to know anything about her.

"I told you we shouldn't have come. No one else is here so we might as well haven't come all this way." Kyo grumbled.

Tohru immediately freaked out and started to say sorry however was quickly stopped by her boyfriend.

"I'm kidding."

She calmed down some. "Oh."

"Kyo honestly. I thought you were her boyfriend, most people would think that they were supposed to be sensitive to their needs. Well good ones anyway." Yuki commented icily.

"SHUT UP YOU DAMN RAT! I WAS JUST TEASING!"

"Stupid cat." Yuki replied.

"Can't you two sit in a room together quietly?" A familiar voice came from the door.

Tohru turned and saw a young couple in their early twenties with the boyfriend who was typically wearing is rock-an-roll styled clothing with studs carrying a baby. The girlfriend was dressed in black trying to cover up the effects pregnancy had on her body.

"Haru! Rin! This must be your daughter!" She cried and jumped to her feet to peer at the baby. Haru smiled affectionately at his daughter.

"Yeah, we called her Izumi." He replied.

"Yeah, Rin sent me the letter." Rin sat down and held out her arms for Izumi.

"I'll hold her, Haru."

"Are you sure? You seemed kind of tired." He replied looking slightly concerned.

She shook her head with a slightly smile directed at her daughter. "No. I'm fine."

He handed the small bundle carefully to her and she cradled her in her warm arms, looking down at her with maternal attachment. Tohru tilted her head with a soft expression on her face. Kyo turned to the nineteen-year-old father.

"So what's it like to be a dad?"

Haru shrugged. "Yeah, its good. I like having two girls to fawn over."

"What are you talking about you only fawn over her." Rin retorted teasingly.

"What are you talking about, you're still both my girls." He replied, wrapping an arm around her.

"By the way Kisa and Hiro are just coming through they just wanted to check something with Akito and Shigure."

"Tohru!"

Tohru's head snapped up again to see a blonde haired seventeen-year-old skipping toward her with her solemn faced boyfriend following her.

"Kisa! How are you? Hows school and everything?"

She nodded cheerfully. "It's going great. I'm really worried about this year since this is the one I have to work really hard in. Since I really want to get into a university."

"Don't worry you'll be fine. You're the top of your class." Hiro assured her, he turned to Kyo and Tohru and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey you two."

"HEY BRAT! TRY USING SOME MANNERS!" Kyo roared, whereas Tohru blinked wondering who Hiro was referring to.

"You can talk." Yuki interjected.

"Now what is all this noise?" Shigure entered the room with the same calm demeanour he always had.

Akito followed him and if Tohru looked close enough she could see that they were holding hands. As if it gave her some reassurance for her to hold his hand. She had grown her hair long, not to the length of her mothers but it went a few inches below her shoulders. She glanced in Tohru's direction and broke away from Shigure which caused him to look to see where she went. When he spotted Tohru he cocked his head to the side.

"Why hello Kyo. Tohru. It's nice to see you."

"We came 'cause Tohru wanted to meet this cousin of ours."

"Oh Kyo, it sounds like you're not bothered about meeting your long-lost cousin." Shigure teased.

Both Akito and Tohru was ignoring this bantering going on between their partners.

"So how have you been?" Tohru chirped. Akito glanced at Shigure who caught her glance with cool affection.

"Everything is well. Better than things were before. I guess its nice to feel loved and having some sense of worth. I don't think I've never felt anything like that from anyone but Shigure. Even when I was a little girl, I think he was the only one who made me feel that way."

"What about your father?" Tohru asked.

Tohru knew of her dysfunctional relationship with her mother however Akito had always spoke of her father with affection. Akito's eyes widened at the mention of her father and eventually nodded.

"I suppose he did. Yes. Him and Shigure are the only ones."

Tohru reached and touched her hand. "I hope you know I love you the same way as your father did."

Akito stared at her for a moment until they were both interrupted by Tohru's boyfriend. "YOU INVITED HIM! AS IF YOU CAN'T MAKE THE EVENING MORE UNBEARABLE!" Kyo screamed at Shigure.

Akito craned her neck back and looked over at Shigure. "Shigure what's going on?"

Shigure put an innocent smile on his face and waved his hand. "Oh nothing, my sweet. Nothing. Kyo's just getting a bit hysterical that's all. You know how it is."

"Still, I wish to know." She replied coolly.

Shigure uneasily scratched the back of his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Well I-er-kind of invited Ayame."

A dark, cloudy atmosphere hovered over the room, dark glared were now all directed at Shigure.

"You what?" Yuki hissed.

"You had to didn't you?" Hiro demanded.

"Well I thought that the whole family should be here. I thought it would be unfair to not invite Ayame." Shigure weakly justified.

"We want to welcome her into the family not scare her off." Rin replied venomously.

"When is he going to be here?" Kyo moaned.

"Unfortunately he won't be able to arrive until after the dinner." He replied shakily.

"Thank goodness, she'll at least be introduced to the sane people in this family before meeting the worst of them all." Yuki muttered.

"Ah Hatori! Come to my rescue!" Shigure cried waving his arms in the air.

"What idiotic thing have you done now?" He replied in a bored tone.

"Hatori, I didn't do anything that bad." Shigure moaned in a childish fashion. Akito had now joined her partner and rubbed his arm.

"You always do, dear." She replied, making him moan even more.

The serious faced doctor of the family and one of the oldest members had entered hand in hand with his fiancée, Shiraki. Shigure's ex-girlfriend and most of the family members ex or current school teacher. Tohru's face lit up at her appearance.

"Sensi!"

Shiraki smiled uncertainly. "Hello Tohru. How are you? I hear your travelling with Kyo."

Tohru placed a hand on Kyo's shoulder and nodded. "It's wonderful. Kyo's doing really well."

"I'm glad, but what about you?"

"Oh I got a job at a zoo nearby. I introduce the penguin show." She replied brightly.

Shigure clapped his hands like an excited puppy and turned to Akito. "Oh we should go! I bet it'd be fun!" He cried.

"Maybe." She replied dryly, dampening most of Shigure's hopes to go to the zoo and to harass Tohru.

"So when are the others arriving?" Hiro asked, sounding bored.

"Kagura should be coming soon. Kureno and Kazuma are going to coming together since their respective significant others wanted to."

A moan came from Akito which caused Shigure to look down at her with a surprised expression.

"What is it?"

"A-chan." She replied grimly.

"What?"

"It's what Kazuma's girlfriend calls me." She replied.

"Hana? Hm, seems kind of cute." He speculated. Akito shot him a poisonous glance.

"Don't even think about it." She warned making him shrink back.

"I wonder who this girl is." Kisa mused. "I mean I've never met her before and I hadn't even heard of her until a few weeks ago until her grandmother told us she was coming to Japan. I wonder whether..."

"What?" Hiro asked blinking.

"Well," She hesitantly looked up at Akito. "Whether there was a reason she was hidden away."

Akito suppressed a laugh. "If she was hidden away it wasn't of my doing. Her fathers family have their own secrets also. There is something quite mysterious about that family. It isn't issues with being out in the open about things however there is something. There are very, very private about themselves. I've met the head of the family myself actually."

"Really, what's he like?" Shigure inquired.

Akito glanced at Shigure with lingered for a few moments before she continued. "Very much like I was. There was something cold and manipulative about Yuri Laurent. He was half Japanese, half-European like Rosalie, but there was a part of her which...I'm not sure. Maybe I was just speculating."

"Sometimes intuition can be correct." Shigure replied.

"He's right." Hatori spoke up. "There is something about that family, like when we were once cursed we kept the world away. They have their own family doctor who is also one of the older family members. William Laurent. Quite intelligent. Very satisfying company. Anyway, when I was discussing his family with him he suddenly went very grave. He sounded very careful with his answers."

"You don't say? Well all these rich families have skeletons in the closest, I suppose." Shigure replied carelessly.

"Yes, like ours. All I'm saying that we should be cautious while Rosalie is here."

"What? You don't think she would be dangerous?" Kyo questioned, blinking.

"No...but I do want to get to the bottom of this. There is something very unsettling about it."

Hatori muttered gravely. He placed a hand on Shiraki and turned to her. "Sorry about this, dear. I don't mean to discern you."

Shiraki waved her hand. "No, its okay." She replied shakily.

"I sense some uncertainty hovering in this room." Said a haunting voice.

Everyone spun round to see a young woman completely dressed in black with her arm wrapped around a man dressed in typical dress of a sensi. The other had tight-fitted jeans and a shirt holding hands with a tall, older man in a shirt and trousers who bowed to Akito.

"Sorry we're late." Kureno apologised.

"Hana you should stop doing that when you enter a room." Arisa chided her friend. "It scares people sometimes."

Both Hana and Arisa quickly turned to Tohru and broke away from their boyfriends, embracing her in an iron-grip hug.

"Oh Tohru it's been too long!" Arisa cried. "Seeing you once a year for a month isn't enough!"

"How are you?" Hana asked calmly.

"I'm fine." Tohru laughed.

Arisa gripped her by the shoulders. "Are you sure? He's not making you work to hard is he?"

_**He **_sat at the table, looking away while trying not to run up to the 'yank' and try to pick a fight with her. Instead Kazuma came over to talk to him.

"How is your training going?"

Kyo blinked. "Yeah it's going great. Someone was going to offer me a job as a trainer for the younger groups but I don't have the patience really."

"We all have to start somewhere, Kyo." He teased and patted him on the head.

"So who are we waiting for now?" Hiro asked.

"Ayame and Kagura." Kyo replied through gritted teeth. "You don't have to be here if you don't want to be you know."

"You didn't want to be here either." Yuki pointed out.

"WILL YOU JUST STOP TALKING!"

"Then stop being a hypocrite." He retorted.

"Just say one more word-"

"Wow, nice to see nothing changes with carrot top." Arisa commented. Kyo gripped onto the edge of the table, resisting to break it in half.

"I. Am. Glad. That. Ayame. Is. Not. Coming. Until. After. Dinner."

"Believe me, the feeling in mutual amongst everyone here. Well, except Shigure." Hiro replied glancing at him from across the table.

"Ah, that man always has such interesting electrical signals." Hana mused.

"Hana, dear. Why don't you sit down?" Kazuma said in a soothing tone patting the place next to him.

Hana gave him a charming smile which made her almost seem like a normal young woman, making all those around the table stare at her in shock. Akito breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness there was no A-"

"Oh, A-chan." Hana sang. "How are you?"

Akito grabbed onto Shigure's sleeve and sank down to the floor. Shigure laughed uncertainly. "My sweet, stop that. You might tear it."

"I don't care."

"Hana, could you refrain yourself from referring to Akito as A-chan. As adorable as I think it is but it seems to be bringing some distress upon her and on my sleeve."

"Of course. If you write another book in your series within the next month." She bargined. Shigure stepped back from the threatening glare and felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Say. Yes." Akito hissed.

"Of course." He replied weakly.

Kazuma smiled gratefully. "She enjoys them massively, Shigure. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Huh, I wonder what time it is? I'm sure Rosalie should be here any moment." He said getting up and walking out the room as quickly as he could.

He needed an excuse to get out of a room who scared the hell out of him or wanted him dead. Akito grabbed him by his room and checked her watch.

"It's 7.30. She should be here in quarter of an hour." She replied.

"Oh darling, when did you get that?" He laughed shakily. "Maybe I should get some refreshments.'

'Already sorted that out."

Shigure sank to the floor and moaned hopelessly. "It's your own damn fault." Kyo retorted.

"I did nothing to deserve this." Shigure moaned.

"Did you hear what I just said?"

Tohru smiled as she looked around the room. She loved being surrounded by happy, laughing people. She was even happy when she saw Kyo and Yuki shouting at each other. Otherwise it didn't seem normal. Everyone was back together again.

Every year Kyo and she came from Christmas and for New Years since it had become so much of a tradition it seemed strange to break it just because the curse had been lifted. Furthermore, Kyo was now included in the celebrations, something which he had yearned for, for many years since he was a child. Then they returned to wherever Kyo was training. Those days Tohru would be her happiest and saddest. She would be sad to leave her friends and family but also she would be happy to go where Kyo was.

At some point they were in the mountains where Tohru worked at a hot springs. She was able to get a discount so she would go to treat Kyo and herself every fortnight. The woman who ran it was a widow who was alone since her children were now living in other parts of the country. Tohru always remembered feeling sorry for her. Being all alone with no one to keep her company. She hugged her before leaving telling her that she would always write to her when she was away. She had never seen as grown woman cry so much. She told her that it was unnecessary but it was the kindest thing that anyone had done for her. She told her that the truth was that her children were not living at another part of the country. In fact, they were not living at all. Her children died in the same car crash that took her husbands life. Her grandfather passed a couple years after that and gave her the Hot Springs in his will and she knew that it could become her refuge.

"I'm so happy." She murmured.

"Huh?" Kyo looked up. "Did you saying something?"

She giggled. "I said I'm so happy."

He smirked slightly, brushing his fingers through her hair. "I know."

Tohru tilted her head, her cheeks went slightly pink. She didn't know whether it was because the room was warm or because she was embarassed. She always liked how Kyo could read her like an open book. She didn't always have to say what was on her mind or try to find an excuse to talk about her feelings but he would always know when to ask her whether there was something wrong. Kyo was so mysterious sometimes. She knew when something seemed wrong, but she could never been able to know what exactly was wrong. When she first met him there was something strange about him and now he still remained to be something of a mystery. However as he never really thought about what was going to come out of his mouth she didn't really need to wonder about what he was thinking for long. Although sometimes he said things he didn't really mean. Sometimes he could get so angry he could break a table in half. Thank goodness she would never have to introduce her to her parents. Then again her Mom had met Kyo and she liked him. Although he never broke a table in half when she knew him. She never she didn't need her parents approval because...Well she had that feeling that she had made the right decision. She may have made a lot of mistakes but she knew that Kyo wasn't one of them. He was her happy surprise. After all she was a fan of the cat!

"Hey Kagura." Kisa greeted brightly.

Tohru looked up after being so immersed in her thoughts. "Hey. I think I saw a car at the front."

"Oh they're here!" Shigure jumped up excitedly.

"Finally." Hiro commented.

"Anyone want to come with me to greet her at the door." Shigure asked.

Tohru put her hand up. "I will, come on Kyo."

He sighed. "Alright." Yuki brought Machi with him, Kisa followed bringing Hiro with her and eventually the room was left empty.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Four

For **konekoko**

Rosalie hesitantly approached the household. There was lanterns hanging off the edge of the roof welcoming her home, beckoning her to come closer to the warm home which she had missed and been absent from for too long. There must have been at least 10 people waiting at the door steps, squashed together to greet her. It was completely overwhelming and almost too much. Whenever she returned home from boarding school it would only be Bora, the housemaid and her father there to greet her. A few months ago she had one of those people to greet her when she returned home taken from her. Now she had five times those amount of people coming to greet her. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react, she wasn't raised in a family where you were particularly intimate with one another. She had gotten so used to keeping people at a distance. Sometimes what she was capable of doing could be dangerous. She had learned that lesson the hard way. Should she run up and hug them? Cry? Run in the opposite direction? Faint? She froze on the spot trying to think how to react. She had never felt like this, her family were always so distant from each other, trying to be close one moment and then distant the next. Always holding people at arms length, whereas these people wished to embrace her. She had never felt something like that in a while.

She felt a warm hand touch hers and looked up to see it was her blonde haired cousin. His warm brown eyes reassuring her that anything that she did would be the right thing to do. However probably running away wouldn't be the best thing to do.

"It's okay."

She gulped and nodded her head, never taking her eyes from his. "Yeah. I'm sure...Yeah."

A storm then fell on top of them and hugged them in a tight embrace. "Of course it is! Besides it looks like there's going to be a party. You didn't tell me you had so many relatives Rosalie!" Erik cried.

She turned away with a frustrated look on her face. "The only reason you don't know that Erik is because I try to avoid for as much as possible to not converse with you." She muttered.

Erik wagged his finger and winked at her. "Ahhhhhh, now we can't have that any more. Since you're here practically all by yourself you'll have to converse with me in order to comfort yourself amongst all these strangers."

"I have a feeling that by doing that it'll have the opposite effect."

"Now, now. Don't be pessimistic." He chided.

"Don't make me hit you." She warned. "I want to come across as reasonably sane to my relatives. Despite my father's family."

"Hey guys!" Momiji cried, running up to the Sohma family. "Tohru you're here! It's been so long! I'm so glad you could make it! It's great Rosalie can meet all you! You're all gonna love her!"

Rosalie shrank back slightly, feeling intimidated again. Erik cocked his head to the side. "Aw, are we feeling overwhelmed with sudden family love?" He teased.

"I'm gonna kill you one of these days." She hissed darkly, glaring at him.

"Why hello." Said a chirpy voice which reminded her of an older Erik with a bit more wisdom.

She looked at the speaker and was face to face with a tall, dark haired man in his early thirties wearing a robe. He had such beautiful eyes, they all did except a few which were eventually not part of the family. The same eyes of her mother, it was the same shape anyway. Apparently she had inherited these eyes but she wasn't so sure. Every time she looked in the mirror she saw a distorted reflection to what everyone else saw. Something which drew the Sohma's to her was that she had the same violet coloured eyes as Yuki and Ayame. Yuki even stepped forward slightly and peered at the girls face to get a better look at her. She looked so silent, so calm. She was hiding a secret which had caused her so much pain to hide but now had accepted that it had become the way of things. Rosalie looked away, feeling uncomfortable with everyone staring at her. Thankfully, Erik wasn't making a show of himself. For the time being. She knew that this would only be momentary. She turned back to the speaker. She had a feeling for a split second that he was the head of the Sohma family but then remembered that the head was a woman. He smiled and held out his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Shigure Sohma. It's nice to see you again, Rosalie." He greeted charmingly. She hesitated and took his hand and then frowned wondering what he meant by 'again'.

"Likewise." She managed to reply.

She turned to the solemn faced woman standing next to him and Shigure wrapped an arm around her.

"This is the head of the family, Akito."

Rosalie's eyes widened and bowed her head respectfully. "It's an honour to meet you, Akito. My mother told me a lot about you."

Akito bowed in return. "It's an honour to meet you also. As for your mother it is an immense regret that she cannot be here at this reunion."

Rosalie stiffened a little and nodded. "Believe me, Akito...No one feels that regret more than I." She paused and decided to lighten the mood if she could. "I believe you met the head of the Laurent family, Yuri."

Akito eyes widened slightly and nodded. She seemed shocked by the mention of her name but Rosalie had a feeling that it wasn't shock invoking this.

"Yes. I have. Not recently though. Yuri seemed like an interesting individual. I noticed she took an interest in speaking about you though. Are you a favourite of Yuri's?" She inquired.

Rosalie stood back and looked away uncomfortably. "Well...S- Yuri likes to see me often, I suppose. But don't you think that its because I'm the only person who's of both of your families? I mean why it was such a particular topic of conversation? It would only seem natural for that to come up at some point."

There was an uneasy silence. Everyone felt a uncomfortable tension hover in the atmosphere between Akito and the newcomer. It seemed to the rest of the Sohma family that this mysterious relative was challenging Akito, many years ago this would be something not even a stranger let alone a family member would've done. Despite the change of times old habits seemed to die hard. They knew for a fact that this was definite sign that she was hiding something. As Tohru looked at her she looked like she was carrying something on her back. A burden which she had long accepted that was taking on. Still she yearned to be rid of it, to throw it away and never look back. It was something which she couldn't get rid of. Tohru even pondered whether she had a curse of her own. After all, she reminded her of the distant, sad look that the Sohma's always had when they were still cursed. That distant look of wishing to have a better, freer life. She looked so frightened while Akito questioned her, as if that it was imperative that she didn't find out what this secret was. It wasn't for her own sake but for the sake of others. Whenever she clenched her fists she reminded Tohru of Kyo, like she was trying to keep her anger at bay and to stop her from screaming out at them or throwing a punch Akito.

She still kept it within her, along with the pain, suffering and sorrow. She wanted to confide to someone about her pain. She thought that this was an impossibility but she wanted to share this secret with someone else. Just so that it didn't hurt as much as it always had done.

"Perhaps." Akito finally answered. "Yes, that seems likely. Nana, I hope that it wasn't too much trouble for you to fetch Rosalie for us."

Nana shook her head. "No, I was happy to see that my granddaughter arrived safely. Besides, Momiji was there to help if there were any complications."

Akito briefly turned to Momiji. "Thank you, Momiji."

"No problem. I was happy to help. I was eager to meet Rosalie anyway."

This comment almost made Rosalie gasp but she suppressed it. Also Erik was muttering 'lovelovelovelove' in her ear. She swatted him away as if she were swatting a fly.

"I believe this is Erik Laurent. Your cousin from your father's side."

"Unfortunately." She answered gruffly.

Erik peered over her shoulder. "That's not very nice."

"Don't make a scene." She murmured.

"I apologise we're leaving you out in the cold. Please come in."

Everyone was usher back inside and led the way to the dining room. Rosalie quickly took her shoes off and gave Erik a stop sign when he forgot to and guarded him until he did so. She turned round after he had and found that Momiji was there waiting for them.

"You didn't need to wait." He held out a hand.

"I wanted to. Besides, like I said I was eager to meet you." He replied.

She smiled politely and took his hand gently as he led her to room where everyone was now sat. She had never felt a man to have such soft hands, it could only be the hands of a musician. She began to wonder what he played. Piano? Violin? She knew it was something classical, he didn't have the rock-an-roll look of one of the cousins she noticed at the doorstep who was holding a baby. He looked so sensitive and fragile. He was the one for soft music. She could seen his European features now that she was looking more closely. It wasn't just the face that he was blonde but also because he had the soft face of a man who lived for something more than what was beyond this world. He gave her a nod before sliding the door into the room where everyone was waiting. She nodded nervously to give him the cue that she was ready despite the fact that her heart said differently. When he opened the door it was like when light first came into the world. It seemed so bright, so loud that she had to take a step back. So many faces, so many smiles. It almost made her dizzy. He nodded to a space between where he would sit and another girl with mousy brown, straight hair and a big smile. She noticed her as one of those who weren't of the Sohma family. She was sat next to a grumpy faced red haired boy about her age looking down at the table.

"Hello I'm Tohru Honda. I'm glad to finally meet you!" She cried.

Rosalie leaned back slightly, considering it seemed a bit much in comparison to Akito and Shigure's welcome.

"H-Hi Rosalie Laurent." She replied.

She had thought that Momiji's welcome was rather over-enthusiastic but this girl, who she didn't even know and wasn't part of this family was more excited to see her than anyone here. She supposed she could understand how hard it was to be an outsider in this close-knit family. Although it would be even harder for Rosalie since these people had the same blood running through their veins as she did.

"Oh that's such a pretty name! Where is it from? I mean they told me you were half-Japanese, half- European but which part?"

"It's French. Although we have multiple roots around Europe but mostly France, but strangely enough our base is in Italy for some strange reason."

Tohru blinked at her as if she had spoken in Swahili. Rosalie smiled and waved a hand. "Never mind."

"What about your other cousin? Erik?"

"Oh Erik? He's Scandinavian. Got the blonde hair and blue eyes to go with it as well. He likes to brag that it was his mothers gift to him."

"I suppose they are gifts. He's very handsome."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, unfortunately, fate decided to give them to such a big-head." She retorted.

"Miss Laurent." Said a ghostly voice.

She looked up to find herself talking to a grey haired, violet eyed handsome young man. She noticed that he was staring at her quite intently when she arrived. It was almost as if he was trying to look into her soul. When she looked into his eyes he immediately reminded her of her mother. He had the same beautiful, delicate features as she did. She froze on the spot as he stared at her, she never felt so petrified in her life. It took her all back to that day when everything began to slowly crash down on her. She could hear Yuri's voice blaming her now and that she was better off now that she was gone. All that blood needed to be washed away. Rosalie gripped onto the edge of the table, trying to compose herself. Momiji noticed the discomfort in her eyes and peered at Yuki. He usually had that affect on women but it wasn't his beauty which was discerning her. It was something else.

"I'm sorry, I failed to introduce myself. I'm Yuki Sohma. Your cousin."

She smiled. "Yes I gathered that, Yuki. I gathered that most people here would be a cousin, uncle, whatever."

"Of course. Sorry."

She frowned. "Yuki. Very unusual name to be given to a boy. If you don't mind me saying."

He shook his head. "Not at all. In fact my brother has a stereotypically female name also. Ayame."

"Huh. Did your mother hope for daughters or something?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure what my mother hoped for. To be frank I don't really care. Anyway, like I was saying its a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." She replied, remembering to bow.

She remained in the stance for a while reflecting on what he had just said. It was such a strange thing to say, such a strange way to speak of ones mother. What did he mean he didn't care for what his mother expected of him? She knew that she would be making sweeping generalisations when she said that in Japan most people were concerned about family values but what Yuki Sohma was doing was more than being a non-conformist. Everyone understood that mothers were supposed to worry but did she simply care too much or completely neglect him? She could never imagine dismissing her own mother in such a way. Then again she didn't know what Yuki Sohma's mother was like. She had to remind herself that not all mothers were as wonderful and as attentive as her own. She however recall that Yuki Sohma's father and her mother were twins, she talked of her brother, Yoshi all the time but she seldom spoke of his wife.

"Your eyes...there are not many people in this family with violet-coloured in this family except for my brother and I. I wonder...Yoshiko was your mother wasn't she?"

She froze at the mention of her mothers name and nodded. "Yes. That's right." She replied stiffly.

It wasn't exactly her favourite subject, especially with complete strangers. Cousins or not. She could sometimes talk about some subjects very freely but this was one she never liked to talk about if she could help it. She never liked to think of her mother sometimes because when she discussed it with someone she hardly knew it brought back the negative memories. The nightmares which never ceased to haunt her in her dreams sixteen years after the accident. It brought back all the blood, those distorted memories which were now scattered like the shards of glasses which was spread across the grave her mother had made on that day. It would appear before her in broad daylight, as if she was a seven-year-old again looking down at the result of the greatest tragedy which would befall upon her life. She took a deep breath and turned back to Yuki who had a thoughtfully look on his face, evidently waiting for her to look up again.

"Yes that's right your mother and my father were twins. My father was called Yoshi. Did your mother ever mention him?"

She thought about this for a moment and then nodded. "Yes. She spoke of him quite a lot actually. All things considered."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, of how he died. It broke her completely. She never felt so isolated in her entire life. I could from the way she would look out sometimes. Like she was trying to see if she could find Japan. Even when we were on the other side of the world. But still she spoke of him all the time, like she was still there. I think he always was. Here." She pointed towards her chest. "They were very close."

She took a deep breath trying the best she could not to scream or run out the room. She thought of this knowing that the only way to get through this without seeming suspicious she would have to think about the good things. The happy things. The sunlit memories not the ones buried in blood and smashed fragments of glass. She thought of her hair blowing in the wind as she ran over the waves of hills, Rosalie holding her hand. When she would play the piano in the dim, sunlit room with lace curtains and bare save the piano where her mother would create such magic. Those were the memories which she cherished. The ones that saved her from plunging into insanity. She knew that there was a greater danger than losing her sanity if she revealed anything to them. It still lingered in her thoughts. It was still here, living and breathing in the world.

He nodded. "Yes I remember. They would play together all the time. I remember when I was little. Your mother was a beautiful pianist by the way."

Her lighted up and she smiled fondly. "I know. That was what encouraged me to take it up. I always dreamed as being able to be as good as her. Every time she would play she would calm me. When I was upset or angry she was always able to make me feel at peace again."

Yuki tilted his head. "She was a wonderful woman. It's a shame we never got to see her before she..."

She nodded with a distressed look on her face. "Yes it is. It sounds like you needed a better mother than the one that you were given."

He looked up sharply with a strange look on his face. "Perhaps. She probably would've been a better mother than my own. Still," Turning to Tohru with an affectionate look in his eyes. "I suppose I was still able to manage."

She glanced in between them and decided not to question it. She could imagine that many things had happened while she was gone.

"So..." She turned to another voice, which actually came from the teenager dressed like a rock-an-roller. "You were Yoshiko's kid?"

She nodded wondering how many times she would be having this conversation. "Hm. Everyone seems to have met her at some point but never met you. Except for Sensi."

She frowned. "Who?"

"He's talking about me." Shigure said. "Yes I met you briefly when you were a child. It was when you were over here for the holidays. You also played with Yuki at some point but I don't think you would've remembered since you were so young."

Yuki and Rosalie stared at each other uncertainly along with a few others around the table. Was there something that Yuki had been hiding? He had been unusually quiet except from insulting Kyo. Now that they thought about it he may have only been doing that so he wouldn't draw suspicion. Everything was so still and easy now. Thoughts were floating about the room. All eyes on Rosalie and flickering from time to time with the other Laurent she had brought with her. Who was she? What was her secret?The nursemaid had finally brought in the food so they could preoccupy themselves with the meal however this didn't stop the curious glances directed at Rosalie. Who is she? She looked down at the soup which was their starter. She absent-mindedly stirred her soup, seldom eating any.

Momiji always kept his eyes locked on her. _What are you?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Five

For **xcrescentxmoonx**

Momiji was unusually quiet for the most part of the meal. There seemed to be something on his mind but no one seemed to be able to figure it out. It was rather strange for him to be so quiet as well. It was just so unlike him to be so...silent. He had his moments when he was contemplative. He spent most of his time playing with his food while he thought about the conversation between Yuki and Rosalie. He loved food, (even though he seemed unable to put on weight) yet he always wolfed down his food. But now he would barely touch his food. Why did everyone treat her like she was suspect to a murder case? Rosalie had just arrived and she was already being subjected to so much scrutiny. She hadn't done anything wrong, he just tell by merely looking into her eyes. Some people could lie with looks but she always had such a clear expression on her face that he knew she would be unable to. He even have a feeling that she didn't exactly want people to get the wrong idea about what she could be thinking about. Sure she had a secret to hide, that was undeniable but he was sure that it wasn't something that bad. He could never imagine her being able to do something that terrible. Frequently he would glance in the direction of the new family member to see if they were thinking the same thing. Sometimes he would even gaze at her for a time which would make anyone think suspiciously.

He didn't know why he was doing this but his eyes seemed to wander back to her even when he tried to take his eyes elsewhere. It was magnetic, seductive. She wasn't even doing anything, she probably wasn't even aware of the effect she was having on him bu there was something about the way that she did anything which made her want to watch her more and more. The one thing which drew him to her more than anything was her eyes. Yuki was right it was very unusual for someone to eyes such as hers. Yet they were such beautiful eyes, there was something frightening about them as well. As if they were really hiding a truly horrible secret, once which could even corrupt the soul. It was like she was from another world. Something which was yet to be discovered. Whenever their eyes accidentally met he felt like he was diving into her eyes as if one would dive into a wide, deep ocean never wanting to return to the surface. It wasn't that the affect it had on you was frightening, it was comforting. It didn't petrify him, it brought him peace. Her hair was raven black but had the same gentle waves Momiji had inherited from his European roots. Her facial features reminded him of his mother. Delicate, beautiful and soft. Everything about her was perfect, almost too perfect for someone to even touch.

"Momiji." Haru said with his mouth full of food. "Quit staring at the girl. You're supposed to be welcoming her into the family not scaring her off."

Momiji pouted. "Says you guys." He hissed. "Interrogating her. I bet she can't wait to run out the door."

Haru raised his eyebrows. "Wow, Momiji. Sounding a little defensive aren't we?" He teased, again with his mouth full which began to irritate his girlfriend.

"Do you mind not doing that in front of your daughter. You'll teach her bad habits." She interjected angrily. Haru turned round with a calm expression on his face.

"She's only a kid, Rin. She won't be picking things up this early."

"You'd be surprised." She shot back.

Hoping that they would be locking in a parental battle Momiji shrank back a little and turned back to Rosalie who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hey are you okay?" He asked. She looked up, looking rather startled and slowly nodded.

"Yes, thank you. The food is wonderful by the way. I finally realised how much I missed Japanese food." She replied, trying to sound cheerful.

He looked at her with a warm, small smile and a thoughtful expression on his face. "Did you miss Japan? After being away for so long?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes. I think I missed it everyday actually. I lived in a beautiful place. I mean Venice is a beautiful place and you can never stop discovering things there but I always felt...empty. I felt so detached when I was there. Like I was on holiday, I was a visitor but I wasn't home. Does that make sense?"

He nodded. "If that's how you feel then it makes sense."

She was utterly dazed for a while, she almost thought she was seeing stars flying in her eyes. No one had never said anything like that to her. She was so used to people trying to interpret her feelings and converting them into something completely different to what she said or trying to direct her emotions in another direction to what they would wish her to feel. They were words which she had waited for but yet hadn't heard until now. There was also something else about the way that Momiji watched over her. It was in a way which almost frightened her. Not because he was looking at her in a threatening way but more because of the effect of the way he was looking at her. He was looking at her so intently she felt like he was looking in her mind. She felt naked under his gaze. She felt herself shake a little from the deep brown pools that she thought that if she glanced in his direction that she was sure to drown in them. She wanted to get lost in them but she wasn't sure whether she would be able to find her way back. She wasn't sure whether she would wish to or whether she was to venture to a wilder country which she was best not to travel in. She had to wait to cross an ocean in order to finally hear them pass someone's lips. The way he talked to her...His voice was so soft. She had never had the chance to completely tell anyone her feelings or the entire scope of them but she thought that she would be able to tell him every little secret.

Mostly she was afraid the confide to anyone, especially to those in the family. Everyone was capable of hiding the family secrets but not the secrets from within the family. How could the Sohma family be any different from the Laurents? They seemed friendlier, more affectionate towards one another but then that merely meant that word travelled faster amongst them all. She glanced at him wearily knowing that it was probably best to keep those things to herself. There wasn't one thing no one knew about another person in the family. She wondered if the Sohma's were like that, they all seemed pretty close but also so vast and distant. They had their own lives, their own little universes, while the Laurents were cramped together into one little, claustrophobic world where no one could breathe. She had confided small fractions of them to others but those were utterly diluted to being caused by teen angst. That it was just her free spirit wanting to see the world. She had never been allowed the time to be a child nor to be a teenager. She had to jump from precious child to experienced adult overnight. That was why she never had time to have those things which girls giggled about in the corridor when she would pass them by never being able to be part of such conversations.

Sometimes she felt a little safe in these little worlds which had been built around her. She didn't have to worry about the things 'normal' people had to worry about. She always knew there would be somewhere for her to go back to if she lost her way. Or more that was what Yuri wished for her to think one day. Or pretty soon after arriving here. But really she just wanted to escape from the prison which had been built around her because of the curse she had been burdened with. She found that she needed to get away. The longer that she stayed there the more she feared her powers would grow. She thought eventually it would become so uncontrollable that she wouldn't be able to with-hold that power which she had inside her whether it would bring good or bad she knew it was something that should never resurface to the point of being at her fingertips again. She knew the real reason why she wanted out of Venice. She loved the twists and turns of the city. She looked the paths which were made of water and the bridges which seemed to overlap one another. The whole place seemed like something out of a fairy-tale but the tragedy was what it was associated with. Every time she thought of that beautiful city she thought of the curse. The family called it a gift. A gift from God. But she knew it was a curse. Her gift was a curse, it could bring both death and life. The curse was the flip-side of her gift.

"That's really sweet." She laughed breathlessly. "You're really sweet. No one has ever said anything so...reassuring to me before. Not since my Mother died."

His eyes flickered and he looked down with a reflective look on his face. "You must have loved her a lot."

"More than anything."

"She really was a special woman. An amazing woman." He replied with a grin.

She nodded. "She was. I miss her. I miss her every single day. I miss my Dad too."

"Yeah I heard your Dad died recently. I'm sorry. I know what its like to lose your parents before your time."

"Before my time? What about theirs?" She smiled. "I like that you said that. Their time came when it was their time. I hate that saying. When I hear someone say 'He died before his time' even if it was a three day-year-old baby. 'Their time' is just when they draw their last breath.'"

"That's a little depressing."

"Is it? Sorry. I didn't realise. I was thinking it sounded more poetic."

He frowned. "In a very dark sort of way."

"I like dark. I was always so grateful for the fact that when we studied literature at boarding school we did the Gothic instead of Pastoral. I heard so many bad things about it. Very bright, clichéd, fluffy."

"What's wrong with fluffy?" He asked shockingly.

"Nothing but everything." She replied unblinkingly, making them both laugh.

"Hey what are you guys laughing about?" Haru questioned with a small, sly smile on his face.

Momiji narrowed his eyes at him and stuck out his tongue.

"Nothing which concerns you." He retorted sulkily.

"Now, now Momiji. It's not very attractive to keep a pretty girl to yourself." Haru teased, giving him a dark look which resembled that of his old days when he had a problem which resembled that of someone with a split personality problem.

"Haru if you're going dark back off. Or if you're pretending cut it out." He warned.

Haru was about to say something but then someone grabbed him by the ear which made him cry almost and go all rigid.

"Yes Haru." Rin said darkly."You're setting a bad example for your daughter."

"Can you please stop threatening me with that." He squeaked.

Momiji was hoping this intervention would stop the whole scene from catching everyone's attention. Instead it made everyone stop their conversations and turn over to their corner of the table wondering what was going on. Momiji completely froze wishing that the floor would swallow him up.

Shigure was the first to speak after a few moments of silence which seemed to last forever. "Rin I think that will be less of a good example to be setting your daughter." He offered weakly.

"Haru was pretending to act like the psycho he sometimes relapsed into." She replied furiously through gritted teeth still holding her daughter in the crook of her arm. Tohru nervously snatched away her daughter trying to turn her away from what could be depicted as domestic violence.

"Still that's no excuse to strangle him." Shigure replied.

Momiji got up and slammed his hand on the table and got to his feet. "HONESTLY! CAN YOU NOT TRY TO ACT NORMAL? OR AT LEAST NOT SCARE OFF ROSALIE? SHE CAME HERE TO FIND A HOME AND SHE COMES TO THIS! I WOULDN'T BLAME HER IF SHE CONSIDERS GOING BACK TO EUROPE TOMORROW!"

He then turned round and stormed out the room, slamming the door behind him. Rosalie had been staring at him for the entire time he was roaring at the rest of the room. Or more at the couple who were acting violently towards one another. She had never had anyone stand up for her like. Even her father gave up standing up for her when Yuri submitted her to the tortures she had experienced in her early childhood. After the death of her mother he had completely given up on everything worth fighting for. He had given up fighting altogether. He was no longer as active in his job as he once was. It made her sad that he had completely given up on life because he used to be so full of life when her mother was alive. It was as if all the light and energy within her father had been sucked out of him along with her mothers passing into the next life. So having such passionate feelings for her comfort was something which was quite surprising and overwhelming. It felt like someone reached inside her chest and clutched her heart in an iron grip.

"I'm really sorry." Haru apologised. "It was my fault. I was teasing Momiji I didn't know I was upsetting him. I'll go talk to him."

"No, really-"

"Don't worry I know, Momiji. I know how to talk to him. Calm him down. Even though..."

"Even though what?"

Haru shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Evidently it isn't."

He shook his head. "I've never seen him behave like this."

"Look I can-"

"No." Rin touched his shoulder. "I'll go I strangled you. That upset him more."

"Why don't you both go?" Shigure suggested with an uncertain expression on his face. "It seems you both need some fresh air."

"No." Rosalie said getting to her feet. "I'll go."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Six

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_Luke: When you date a girl like Rory, you're involved with her whole family. Just like that last girl you dated, you were involved with her whole petri dish._

_~ **Swan Song, Gilmore Girls**_

~ (***) ~

The moment she left the room Rosalie had never felt so relieved, disconcerted and...was it regretful? She never felt so overwhelmed in her life. She had never had so many people open their arms to her at once. Or so eager to anyway. This also made her question as to whether she should trust them. She was used to family who displayed these types of emotions unless they had a motive. She had another emotion which she wasn't sure how to go about naming. She feel it but she couldn't name it. She was the blind man who had been presented with a gift but didn't know whether to accept it or not. It was something which she felt that she could've felt towards her family initially however due to her lack of sharing a connection with them it was difficult. It was a feeling she wanted to feel but couldn't. She had to protect herself from her own family. It was so laughable. Although when she was with the Sohma it came naturally. It wasn't an overwhelming feeling. It felt like it was growing. She knew that it was an emotion which would slowly emerge and soon came to know and acknowledge in time. Maybe she could feel like a normal twenty-something woman but still she felt she had to dissuade herself from such thoughts because she knew that to a certain extent this was impossible.

Anyway, her personal problems weren't the issue here shaking away these thoughts out of her mind as she walked down the corridor. It was Momiji she needed to focus on right now. It was so bizarre how he suddenly acted like that. He seemed so calm and relaxed and not the type to suddenly explode like that. Obviously her presence had provoked him in some way. It wasn't something she did but it was because of the naturally sudden interest of a newcomer something inside him had stirred him and made him act out like that.

It must have been a combination of factors which made him behave in such a way and not to seem egocentric she was sure that she was connected to one of them in some way. She found that it wasn't difficult to find him. After walking around the gardens for a few minutes she found him hunched down on the floor evidently brooding over what had just happened and the emotions and thoughts buzzing around in her mind. She smiled knowing that feeling all too well. She approached him quietly and when she was at a safe distance decided to speak.

"Momiji." She spoke softly so that she wouldn't startle him. His head shot up and stared at her.

"Are you alright?"

He didn't speak for a few moments and she waited. She waited for what seemed for hours until he spoke.

"It's cold."

She leant forward slightly. "Pardon?"

He got to his feet and led her inside. "It's cold. You must be freezing."

She held up her hands and tried to shrug this off. "It's fine. I live in Europe remember. It's always cold there. Unless in Italy."

"Exactly. It's hot there." He replied.

She shook her head. "Not always. I mean I'm not always in Italy. It's alright."

He shook his head. "No its not. You're a-"

She held a hand against his chest. "Momiji. What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Haru was being rude and was saying inappropriate things. I couldn't have him-"

"Don't make excuses." She interrupted. "I know when something like that displeases someone and that is certainly not how someone reacts to it."

He turned away dismissively and looked down at the ground. "Well I don't know about how people go about it in France but I assure you what I'm telling you is the truth."

This comment stung her and hit her in the chest like a swift, forceful punch. She stood back a little and stared up at him.

"I'm sorry I made such an assumption."

Momiji suddenly realised what he had said when he saw the shocked expression in Rosalie's eyes and immediately felt ashamed of himself. Not only had he been racist but he had been incredibly rude towards someone who had come after him to see if he was alright. Hence showing a concern in his welfare. What he had done was a thousand times worse than Haru's actions. Why was he acting so irrationally all of a sudden? He hated himself a thousand times over now that he had hurt her feelings. He of all people was sensitive to the feelings of others. She must've felt so confused right now. One moment he was expressing a sincere interest in her and the next he was completely rejecting her. He was insulting her. He wouldn't blame her in the slightest if she turned away and never spoke to him again. He wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to fly back to Venice. He deserved it after his behaviour. Especially when he was trying to help as well. She had come out here in the cold with good intentions and was evidently concerned about him.

"I'm sorry." He chocked. "That was an unforgivable thing for me to say. Especially me. It's true though what Haru was saying was disturbing me and I was annoyed at him and now I've projected it back onto you. I apologist whole-heartedly."

She hesitated for a moment, in this moment Momiji was growing more certain she wasn't going to forgive him until he saw a smile creep upon her face.

"You know, that is probably the most sincere apology I have ever heard in my life. I would've heard more sincere ones from certain people but they never had to. As for the rest who did I knew that they were lying before they ever opened their mouths."

There was a sad expression on her face. One which was filled with despair which had been hidden and suffered in silence. Momiji took a step forward and restrained himself from wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He replied gravely. "I mean not just what I said but also that. I was wondering...were you talking about your family."

She looked up and gave him a look before replying. "I'm sure that that the Sohma family has been rife with speculation upon the subject of the Laurent family."

"Oh no-"

She held up a hand. "It's alright. It's to be expected. My family has many secrets and quite rightly so. There are some things which they have done with isn't exactly within the boundaries of the law and of morality. I shouldn't even be telling you this but...I feel I should give someone some explanation."

"There is no need for an explanation." He assured her.

"Yes there is." She replied almost immediately. "Yes there is."

She looked down and closed her eyes tightly thinking over what she was doing. What she was doing was madness. She was even questioning right this moment whether she was beginning to lose her sanity. If Yuri found out what she was doing she would surely punish her in the most painful way possible. It was her nature. It was what she did. It was what kept from the other family members from doing what she was doing right now.

She sighed. "There is an explanation but I can't really...tell you it fully." She said finally.

Momiji looked down at her with her face scant of any judgement. "Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just something...which never should be spoken of. When you apologise now for your behaviour which I'm grateful for don't get me wrong but it makes me feel bad because I can't give you an explanation to why I'm so distant."

"Well...Why don't you stop being so distant?"

_Otherwise everyone would know. Everyone would discover our secret. Then Yuri would lock me away and throw away the key. This is the extents of my freedom I can't mess it up. Not now._

She wrapped her arms around herself against the bitter cold wind. Sometimes this world, such a harsh world could be so cruel. It would open its arms to something which seemed to need some comfort but once it knew the truth it would close itself away and turn its back on that lonely child in such desperate need of love. Away from the world and away from the truth. She needed to take a moment where she didn't have to think about the truth. Sometimes it was harsher than the unacceptable world. Sometimes it was too painful a subject to dwell on. It reminded her of her cage and her suffering.

Why did she have to suffer more than any of them? What did she do to deserve this? They all campaigned for Yuri's favour but did they really know what they truly desired? Did they really have a full grasp of what the truth was? They all thought they knew the truth. That they had a high knowledge of those of the outside world but they were far from the truth. They were just as naïve as the rest of the world. Especially in matters concerned with Yuri's true nature. They all feared Yuri but they didn't know of Yuri's true nature. None of them knew the truth of the despair and horror she had to endure as Yuri's favourite.

"Otherwise people will find out the truth." She replied in a small voice.

"Is the truth so terrible?"

"Sometimes." She replied. "Sometimes it can be a gift. Others it can be a burden. It's such a terrible burden."

"The truth?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He smirked. "I know how that feels...For some time I had to hide a secret of my own. We all had to and eventually...We all almost lost any chance of being able to be ourselves until someone came along and saved us."

She was considering telling Momiji the truth about her family. Telling him about her secret, but she knew that it would never be able to come out easily. For now, she was going to leave that unsaid.

"Well...I suppose the difference between you and me is that...We can't be saved."

"Why?"

"Our secret is a little more...Dug into our souls." She answered uneasily.

He opened his mouth again but she stared back at him telling him not to speak again. She took him by the hand and led him back inside.

"You best go inside. It's cold out here." She said.

Momiji blinked. All that sadness had gone. It was as if she had become a different person. He was right. She wanted to hide that sadness and she would do anything to keep her secret hidden in the darkness. Where she would suffer alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Seven

For **SarahELupin**

_And over the pond are sailing_

_Two swans all white as snow;_

_Sweet voices mysteriously wailing_

_Pierce through me as onward they go._

_They sail along, and a ringing_

_Sweet melody rises on high;_

_And when the swans begin singing,_

_They presently must die._

_~ **Heinrich Heine, Early Poems, Evening Songs, No. 2.**_

~ (***) ~

Rosalie was so relieved when she arrived at her Nana's house after the party. All of it was so overwhelming and she thought that she would collapse from exhaustion an hour before she actually left the main house. After she had returned to the dining room she found another family member making a show of himself who she could only assume was Ayame, since he was the only one who was yet to arrive. He introduced himself in a very-over-the-top manner (which apparently was normal for him) embracing her to 'his bosom' and almost flinging her around the room. Yuki came to her rescue pulling her away from Ayame and telling him that he would have to leave unless he behaved himself. This then began an argument between the two brothers. The other protesting that it was his duty as a cousin to be as warm and affectionate as he possibly could due to her long absence. /Rosalie was touched by this but she knew that it was unnecessary. She was more than capable of fighting her own battles. Even Momiji had stepped aside for this one but maybe after their argument from outside had unsettled him he didn't have the energy or will to. She was saddened by the reflective and disturbed expression on his face. She hoped it wouldn't make him pursue his possible suspicions any further. If was to cause such an argument after settling another she felt bad having caused another.

She tried to calm down both the brothers and as she did she looked into their eyes which were so similar to hers. In those brief moments she felt like she knew them and they knew her. They knew of her pain and that they could see the pain which she was determined to hide from everyone. That the secrets of her heart didn't need to be spoken with words. She knew with their eyes that there was no chance of hiding. There was no where to run. As she sat on her bed she considered getting back on the plane and going back to Venice. She carefully placed a photograph of her mother on her beside cabinet and sat on her bed, hugging her knees as she stared at the picture. But that would mean that she would be back with Yuri and the fear of being so close to her was greater than her disconcerted feelings towards the Sohma's. She was afraid of them knowing about her real self but also she was afraid of this being her last chance for freedom. She couldn't discard such a chance so easily. Whenever she thought about doing that the glittering memory of her mother began to fade away. Whenever she thought of her mother standing over the hills, her hair blowing in the wind she looked so free. In a way she was free now, despite the fact that she was dead Rosalie was so envious of her.

As she was so immersed in her thoughts, Rosalie failed to notice her cousins presence at her door. For once he decided to be quiet. He knew that Rosalie was so deep within her thoughts that these were serious and would be cruel of him to interrupt her. Erik looked into the room at his contemplative cousin for a moment with a grim smile. He knew all to well of what she was pondering on. It was tiresome life they led due to the secret of the family. They all had responsibilities with the gift which had been given. In some ways Rosalie was blessed and cursed more than the rest of the family members. As a result of the gift she was given she was seen as the right hand of the head of the family, Yuri. At the same time with the gift she was given she had more responsibilities. Despite what she was aware of, Erik also knew all too well of the pains that Rosalie had to endure.

"Rosalie." He said softly.

Rosalie swiftly turned in his direction. She didn't speak for a moment. She just stared at him. She must've been shocked to see who it was. He seldom spoke so softly and was aware he was the least liked of the family.

"Erik. You...Well you didn't startle me. That seems to be an improvement." She joked weakly.

He gently closed the door behind him and went to sit on his cousins bed. "Are you alright? I know seeing the whole Sohma family must've been quite overwhelming."

Rosalie smirked. "Being sentimental isn't exactly your forte, Erik. We both know that."

He raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So...Why are you here?"

He nodded and sat down beside her. "Do you know...What your problem is Rosalie? You can't trust anyone."

"Well after living with our family...I think it should be pretty understandable. Including you."

He chuckled. "I have to admit our family is not as warm and fuzzy as these Sohma's but still...I don't think it should deter you from being distrustful as everyone else."

"Well in that case I shouldn't trust you now, should I?" She replied.

He smiled. "Quite. But let me ask you this, who else is there for you to talk to? If not me?"

She sighed. She contemplated telling Erik everything but she wasn't sure that she could trust him. After all she had never trusted to tell him anything before. She turned away and brushed a few strands of her hair away from her eyes.

"I think...I think it was a bit overwhelming but that it's just it." She replied truthfully.

Erik's smile stretched across his face slightly and leaned forward. "What else is there...behind those little intriguing, mysterious eyes of yours?"

"Is this how you tempt all the secrets out of your women, Erik?" She questioned.

He chuckled. "Only those who are difficult to crack. Some want to tell you everything but then there are some women like you...Who want to be far away from everyone else."

She still kept her eyes downward and shrugged. "I guess I'm afraid that they'll find out. Yuri won't exactly be pleased. You can imagine what Yuri would do if someone in the Sohma would find out about the family secret."

"Hm. That is true. I can see how that could become a problem. But say they did find out why should Yuri be necessarily be told of the incident."

Rosalie paused for a moment and then finally turned to her cousin. "Erik, are you telling me you wouldn't inform Yuri of anything which would bring shame and danger upon the family if it was of my doing?"

"Rosalie..." He chided. "There are a few members of the Laurent family who aren't out to get you. We all know that you're position in the family is irreplaceable. However there is the odd few who wish to take it because of the whole attraction to overcoming the impossible. Still...Most of us have given up you just want to distance yourself from everyone." He paused. "Besides, when it comes to Yuri, its the messenger who tends to feel the extent of his wrath more than anybody."

"That's because no one can be trusted in the Laurent family." She grumbled.

"A-ha. Not exactly." He chirped. "You'd be surprised by some of the family members if you get to know them."

She glanced at him which almost seemed like a glare but more of a cold look. "I doubt it."

Erik leaned against his palm flat on the bed and tilted his head to the side as he stared at his cousin. Sometimes he had a good idea of what she was thinking about but at other times she was such an enigma. She had such a look on her face it could turn milk sour. He knew of the troubled thoughts which polluted her mind very well. Once he had walked in on Yuri beating her for a reason which he couldn't imagine would be able to justify her treatment. He knew now how fickle Yuri's emotions towards the family members could be.

He remembered being so afraid that he wouldn't intervene fearing that Yuri would do the same to him. So that's what he did. He would hide all those fears and those horrors which he saw that day by being so joyful that he almost brought people onto the brink of wanting to kill him. He remembered on a trip to Iceland that Faron tried to chuck him out the window. Thankfully, William was there to stop it./ In a way, he hoped that his behaviour was helping Rosalie ease her suffering in a way. Every time he teased her he hoped that he brought her closer to a smile which she always wore before the death of her mother. After that everything seemed to go downhill for her. He knew that he annoyed her a hell of a lot but he was doing it with good intention. If he knew that he was bringing her any sense of distress from his behaviour but serious distress not the level which she displayed he would stop it.

Rosalie looked up and thought of her mother who she hoped was watching over her. However a part of her dissuaded her from her Christian beliefs to that of her mothers land. It would bring her much more comfort if she was either a part of the world around her or taking the form of a spirit which always lingered amongst the living. Rather than be in a completely separate existence. But then wouldn't that be selfish? Didn't she deserve a peaceful afterlife after such a treacherous one in this world? She deserved to live in an eternal existence with her father after this one. It was time for Rosalie to accept that she was now alone.

She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She was alone.

_I am alone. I have to go my own way now. I must make my own way now. Alone._

Erik glanced at her and hesitated in reaching out and touching her on the shoulder. "What's wrong now? What is it?"

She laughed shakily. "I just realised something...I always had this sort of support system through everything I had been through. I always believed that my mother was here with me. Holding my hand through the darkest moments of my life when I realised that was selfish. She deserves a peaceful life of eternal rest. Not one where she always has to look out for me. It made me realise...how alone I really am. How alone we all really are."

Erik sat up slightly. "You really believe that? After believing something else for so long? You can really discard them so easily?"

She shrugged. "I have to. I have to be strong if I'm going to survive. I have to..." Her voice faltered at the last line, knowing it was something which couldn't be said out loud. It was too painful to admit to.

Erik took this as the time to reach out and touch her hand. "You're not alone as you think. Some people reach out to others to help them through the rough times. There are many people who have been through the things you've been through and may not know it. And in that respect, you really aren't alone. Just because there isn't someone out there to look after you doesn't mean there isn't somebody else willing to hold your hand as you get yourself through it."

Rosalie leant back and stared at Erik with shock before leaning forward and pressing her forehead against his shoulder, still touching his hand with hers.

"You're killing me." She muttered.

He reached out and stroked her hair. "It's going to be okay. You know that right? Things are going to start getting better now."

She nodded. "I hope."

She gripped onto Erik's jumper, as tight as her resolved to hold onto this last hope with she had which came from the last person she expected. She never thought Erik could be so capable of being wise and compassionate. But many it was because he was trying to work it out along the way. Like her. Maybe they were different in personalities but they were still making the same journey. She rubbed her eyes against his shoulder as she felt her eyes begin to water. She was determined to take this newly found relationship one step at a time. He wasn't going to be witnessing her crying on their first heart-to-heart. It was a bit to early for that. Erik on the other hand stared at the wall. He hadn't been this affectionate with someone. He had some girlfriends but they were always casual and never something that meant a lot to him. That was the sad thing he tried to keep things light so that things would never get serious. So that he would never have to tell anyone his secret. Like Rosalie he kept some people at arms length. There was even one he was close to loving but the fear of the family secret put a stop to that. He couldn't drag her into family politics.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Eight

For **xcresentxmoonx**

_On our way_

_To the glacier_

_Star-lit sky_

_And mist-covered wind_

_When dawn arrives_

_To paint the mountains_

_The sun will reign_

_And the melt will begin_

_Miles of ice_

_Once unyielding_

_Surrender into a_

_Sea of unrest_

_The earth below_

_Drowns in sorrow_

_Unprepared for_

_The sudden distress_

_Gone is the world I?ve relied on_

_It has shed its sweet lullaby for a swan song_

_Raging fires_

_Sweep the landscape_

_Devouring all that dare lie_

_In their path_

_The fog consumes_

_Veils the sunset_

_Sets the stage_

_For a cold aftermath_

_Gone is the world I?ve relied on_

_It has shed its sweet lullaby for a swan song_

_Migration_

_Up the ocean_

_Unaware of_

_How far they may roam_

_And someday soon_

_We will follow_

_Leave the familiar_

_For places unknown_

_~ **Swan Song, Ari Hest**_

~ (***) ~

It took a few days until Rosalie Laurent saw the Sohma's again. Ever since that night she knew she couldn't face them again and Tohru Honda was drawn to her. She knew she needed to see her again. She saw something her eyes, it was like she was lost or lost in her sadness which she didn't want to share with anyone else. Her maternal instincts kicked in and she knew on the last day she had with the Sohma's she had to go and see her one last time before she and Kyo returned on his journey. Kyo believed it would be a bad idea. The Laurent's always preferred to have their privacy but it seemed to be white noise to Tohru. She was determined to meet this girl again. She was so mysterious. So distant from others, even from her own family. She had found out from Shigure that she had recently lost her father to a terminal illness which he had been fighting against for a few years. Her mother died when she was a little girl. Even since then she never came to visit her mothers family. Tohru knew that pain. She knew what it was like to blame yourself for your mothers death. Kyo knew what it was like. When she told him he saw a sad expression on his face and said that he now felt more sorry for her than he already did. He knew about the death of her mother but not of the recent passing of her father.

Tohru skipped up the steps to the house cake in hand. She was so excited about this party. She knew she really had to get to know Rosalie Laurent. She felt that they both had more in common than meets the eye. They had both lost their mothers, she seemed like an outsider to the Sohma family and the curse...Then this was where her mental list of similarities came to an end. She guessed there wasn't much in common between both of them after all. Kyo cautiously watched his girlfriend ring the doorbell, worried that she was going to drop the cake. She spent hours on making it and he knew of her constant tendencies of clumsiness. It was an adorable but also exhausting attribute of hers. She had spent so long and put so much effort into the cake he would find it sad for her to get upset over it. And yet again it would be exhausting in trying to calm her down. He knew that he probably should be dragging her away from all this but she had already invited the rest of the family to bring food so there was no way of backing out now. Besides they would become so worried about her whereabouts, come find her and he would be beaten for the crime of Tohru being 'held hostage'. This in a way could act as a going away party as well and they knew from Rosalie's behaviour that she was likely to come up with an excuse not to come. So this seemed to be the only option.

"Hey Tohru!" Cried a familiar voice.

Kyo and Tohru both turned around to find Momiji, Haru and Rin walking up to the house. Momiji was carrying the assigned rice balls, which was surprising considering that Tohru loved making these and Momiji was more of a cake person. However they both agreed that it was best they switched since they needed to practice cooking skills, so cooking things they didn't normally do would probably help with that. She never thought Momiji as the cooking type but she supposed that since he was going to college soon he would need to cook for himself. However when they were organising it he seemed really determined to do something well. Like he wanted to impress Rosalie or something. Rin and Haru were assigned to making Chaozu buns (A/N: If I spelled this wrong or if I got the name mixed up I do apologise but I'm pretty sure that this is the right name. By the way if you can try them they're so nice.) Rin was carrying the plate while Haru carried Izumi who was bouncing in his arms. He would swing her up in the air and rock her from side to side, still laughing her little lungs out. Tohru felt a light blush on her cheeks as she watched Haru. Both Rin and Haru seemed so at ease at being parents. She wondered what she and Kyo would be like as parents.

"I got the rice balls! I did three of each flavour I could think of! So that there was enough of each flavour everyone would like!"

"You idiot that's going to be way too many!" Kyo snapped.

Momiji pouted. "Kyo stop being such a sour puss." Kyo froze up at being called a 'sour puss'.

"Ah you're all here." They all turned to the open door to find the blonde haired cousin of the new arrival.

This gathering wasn't a complete secret considering that Erik Laurent had been called up about this a few days before and was sworn not to tell Rosalie as it was supposed to be a surprise. Erik relished in this knowing that it would annoy her as well as cheer her up. She had been so withdrawn into herself for the past few days he was beginning to wonder how well he would do at college. A main part of the experience was to meet new people and she was evidently not doing very well. So he knew that he had to start taking the tough love approach if he was going to get his cousin to let herself out into the world again. However he also knew deep down she would appreciate the gesture. It just took her a while to trust people, look how long it took her to trust him. Proof. He was also glad to see the Sohma family again. On their first night there he had found new friendships in the older family members, Shigure and Ayame. He also quite liked Momiji. When this thought crossed his mind he cast a suspicious glance upstairs thinking that he wasn't the only one. He turned back to the guests and opened up his arms.

"Welcome. Welcome. It's lovely to see you. Oh, look at all this food. This is too kind. You didn't have to." He replied frantically, turning from one person to another.

"No really it was no trouble." Tohru replied sweetly. "We told you we were going to bring food anyway."

"Hey, does Rosalie know that we're actually coming yet?" Haru asked. Erik immediately went blank and then stood aside.

"Please come in, I'll just go call, Rosalie."

Tohru and Momiji seemed to not notice the seriousness of Rosalie not knowing and hurried inside while it took a few minutes with Haru, Kyo and Rin to wait on the doorstep before slowly making their way into the house with anxious heavily weighing on their minds.

"How do you think she's going to react to all this?"

"I don't know but I have a bad feeling about all this. She reminds me of-" Then stopped, knowing it was now best to keep his mouth shut.

"Who?" Rin probed.

"Er-Well-"

"Just spit it out."

"ALRIGHT I WAS GOING TO SAY RIN!" He roared.

Rin and Haru stared at him blankly. Rin said nothing and took the plates through to the dining room where Haru was there with a thoughtful look on his face as he considered this.

"Yeah I suppose, but I also thought that she seemed quite similar to you actually."

"WHAT!"

"Huh? Kyo and Haru right? What are you doing here?"

Kyo slowly looked up to find Rosalie at the top of the stairs blinking down at them with some confusion. She couldn't recall Nana or Erik saying anythi-...Erik. Of course since there family bonding session nothing seemed to change in Erik's demeanour and this whole situation reeked of Erik. She cast a threatening glare in his direction who was trying to hide away behind the wall as he observed the scene. Kyo quietly made a desperate sound from the back of his throat which resembled something of a dying animal. Haru on the other hand remained calm as he held his daughter in his arms. He didn't really understand why Kyo was having such difficulty with answering her question. Yes, this was going to be a bit of a surprise and also might possibly disconcert her, if his suspicions of her being similar to Kyo and Rin then he was sure that she wasn't going to take this well. However if Momiji was dragged into the equation he was sure that it was going to calm everyone down. He noticed that Momiji and Rosalie had grown quite close over that night. Even though he was teasing him about it there did seem to be something there.

"Kyo and Tohru are leaving tomorrow and Tohru wanted to see you again before she left. So she decided to host the party over here. She knew you wouldn't come to the main house that's why."

She scratched her head and looked away with an annoyed expression on her face. "Right. Okay." She narrowed her eyes at him. "But I'm guessing that you had something to do with all of this..."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well..."

"Oh Rosalie!" Tohru suddenly appeared in the corridor and beamed up at Rosalie. "I hope you'll like the food we made. You said you had a strong preference to Japanese cuisine so..."

_Oh God they made food, _she thought. She plastered a polite smile on her face and turned back to Tohru.

"That's really sweet of you, thank you. But there was really no need."

"No. No. I insist." Tohru argued. "I just wanted to get to know you better before I left. Hopefully we'll see each other again afterwards."

"Um, alright." Rosalie replied uncertainly, making her way down the stairs.

"Rosalie!" Momiji cried. "I hope you've got a huge appetite because we've got a huge banquet that will even put the emperor to shame."

Rosalie blushed as her smile grew involuntarily wider. "Really? My that is huge! What did you make?"

"Rice balls!" He announced proudly. "I made plum flavoured especially."

Rosalie's eyes widened. "How did you know? How did you know they were my favourite?"

Momiji gave her a warm smile and told her, "Your Grandmother told me."

Rosalie leaned back slightly and looked like she was about to bring her hand to her mouth. She felt like all the air inside her lungs had been sucked out of her body. She felt dizzy and numb and almost began to sway from side to side. She had many people developing an interest in her during her undergraduate degree in literature. Some students who sat the same lectures as her who would glance at her from the other side of the room or would know a friend of a friend that she met at a party or outing. But she never had anyone go to these lengths. Like her interests, favourite things and flavours. She knew just from the way he looked at her sometimes. It was the same look that Yuki would give her. It was like he was trying to look into her soul and draw out her secrets. This was the moment when she would withdraw herself from him. It was only safer for everyone if she distanced herself from people who dared to see what was inside her soul. However it was different with Momiji Sohma. She found that she was unable to draw herself away from him. They were something deep within her which told her that she didn't want to draw away from him but rather wanted to cling onto him. She clutched the part of her top which rested on top of her heart and froze before him.

"So you-er-talked to my Grandmother?" She inquired after the others had drifted back to the dining room, leaving Momiji and Rosalie alone.

He nodded. "Yes. I asked her a few questions about you before you came. I knew that you came from a European as well as a Japanese family and I felt...I don't know a connection. I'm Eurasian myself. I know it's a corny excuse to develop an interest in another person but you know."

She shook her head. "For most people it would be creepy but since you're my cousin I suppose I can put it down as curiosity. I mean which families don't go around asking about other family members they haven't met before?"

"Thanks." He laughed uncomfortably. "I was worried you might be freaked out by my curiosity. I just remember seeing a picture of you and you looked so...distant."

Rosalie froze and gulped. "I suppose I do that often. I mean distance myself from people."

"Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess because I'm afraid of people knowing the true me and there...And I've gotten so used to being like that I suppose I just react the same way to everyone now." She joked.

Momiji leaned forward, so close that she could feel his gentle intakes of his breath. "What?"

"There are other dangers." She replied finally, thinking of Yuri.

"What dangers? Surely there's nothing dangerous about you." He joked.

She stared back at him. Her eyes were emotionless and blank. "There's a lot of dangerous things about me." She replied. "There's not a lot of nice things about me."

"I know that's not true."

"No." She almost snapped. "You really don't want to know."

Before walking around him into the dining room leaving him there to ponder before returning with the rest of the party.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

A/N: Hey guys! Just wanted to send a message out that I'm back from Ghana and I'm ready to do some more writing on this story since I've been gone for so long...which I do apologise for. Although I haven't forgotten about any of my stories while I was gone and I have in fact done a plot outline for all my stories including this one so I hope you'll forgive me for the long wait for the next update and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Nine

For **Ichigo.x**

Rosalie sat there thinking about Schubert's Swan Song. Schubert was her favourite composer and Swan Song was her favourite collection by him. It was the first thing she had heard being played on the piano, which of course was played by her mother. It was the song which drew her into the world of music. It was actually the last collection of songs composed by Schubert. That was what a swan song was, the last dramatic act made by someone within their profession. It could refer to the last campaign or political act made my a politician. It even referred to the last novel a writer would publish. It was interesting how the last song would be the very thing which began to journey down the road of music. She looked across the table and wondered whether Momiji had heard it. However Rosalie was thinking specifically of the_Ständchen _or Serenade. It was so soft but light-hearted, it made her think of a rabbit hopping across a field but towards the end it turned serious. It sounded more like the story it was supposed to be part of, being a tragic love story. It made her think of a happy ending.

She tried to think of the person it reminded her of, as all pieces of music did but for some reason it no longer reminded her of her mother. Somehow tunes, harmonies and all those things which created a piece of music constructed a figure from Rosalie's memory. Perhaps that's what she did when she played the piano. She was bringing someone to life. She guessed that's what other composers did, especially the ones who were playing things about love. She closed her eyes and she no longer saw her mother there. Instead she saw him. Instead of her mother playing at the piano bathed in sunlight, it was Momiji. Why was he there? She was almost becoming angry with him. It was as if he was beginning to take her mothers place. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably and cast smiles at those whose gaze met hers. It seemed to be Yuki, Tohru or Momiji who tried to have a moment of eye contact with her from across the table. They allowed her to be silent and not force her into engaging into a conversation with them. But they wanted to at least constantly remind her that she was in the same room as more than at least two other people who were here to see her, partly.

"Rosalie?"

Rosalie looked up to see who it was. It was the first time someone had spoken to her since she spoke to Momiji before joining the rest of the party. She was surprised that Tohru was speaking to her. She was being incredibly rude to everyone by giving out the message that she didn't want to converse with anyone when they had all come over to see her. Then again Tohru wasn't the type of person to mind or pay attention to any of these things. She wasn't exactly being gracious or grateful for their efforts. They even went to the extents of finding out her favourite dishes. It was because she was so used to building up walls and keeping other people out. The world was beginning to rush in and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was trying to rebuild those walls but they were beginning to crash down, slowly. Her efforts were futile. She could just let herself be carried by the current and allow her to take it wherever it chose to take her but she was still determined to fight it until the end. She had inherited her stubbornness from her father.

"Are you alright? Do you like the food?"

Rosalie suppressed a chuckle and nodded. "I'm fine and the food is delicious. Thank you. It was very considerate of you to make my favourite dishes. I'm sorry I haven't been talking that much I don't really feel like myself as the moment."

"How do you know that?" Tohru asked blinking.

"Sorry?"

"How do you know that you don't feel like yourself? How do you feel like when you're you?"

Rosalie frowned at the question. It was strange as well as being valid. "I suppose I've never really known what it's really like to be me. I've always had to put on a mask to hide my real thoughts and feelings. It's been there for so long I think I lost it and now that I don't need to do that any more I...I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be like."

"So how do you know this is what you're really like?"

Rosalie smiled. "I don't feel so...lost. I don't feel as confused as I am now."

"What's confusing you then?"

"I guess...I'm wondering why I'm starting to forget my mother. Whenever I think of a piece of music it reminds me of someone or I see them in my mind when I close my eyes when I hear the music in my head. Now, I see someone else. I don't want to forget her. I don't want her to..." She paused. "Sorry I shouldn't be telling you all this. I hardly know you and for all I know I'm probably making you incredibly uncomfortable."

"I'm sure you're mother is very proud of you. She won't hate you whatever you do. Even if you can't think of her when you hear that music she won't hate you. You don't need it to remember her. I used a photo. Surely you have a photo of her?"

Rosalie smiled grimly. Funnily enough she didn't have a photo of her mother. When she died her father ordered all photos of her to be burned. After a few months of them being in the house, not even on display it brought him anguish and pain. He didn't think of anyone else's feelings on the matter, only his own. It was selfish, now that Rosalie looked back in hindsight but she still didn't blame him. She would've probably done the same if she were in his position. She felt the pain he felt the only difference between them was that she acknowledged the pain he felt but he didn't do the same.

"I don't have any photos of her." She replied gravely.

She took the tea that was still miraculously hot even after not touching it for twenty minutes and blew on it. Tohru stared at her in shock and leant forward.

"None? You have no photographs of your mother? None at all?"

"Yes. Yes. And yes." She replied in amusement. "They brought my father to much pain for them to be around the house. When he saw her face it reminded him too much of the love which he lost."

Tohru looked down and when Rosalie glanced at her she looked like she was about to cry. "I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see my Mom again." Tohru murmured.

"Did he not acknowledge your pain at all?" Rosalie turned to the new speaker and found it was the violet-eyed cousin. "Did he not see the selfishness in this act?"

Rosalie gazed at Yuki evenly and shook her head. "No. Then again wouldn't you react the same way? Wouldn't your own sorrow make you behave irrationally?"

"Only if I was selfish." Yuki replied darkly.

His voice was also calm and quiet, it was like she was hearing the foreboding words of a ghost warning her of the dangers she would face in the future. When she gazed across the table at his face she swore she saw her mother, as if she had entered Yuki's body and spoke the words she failed to tell her before she died.

Rosalie gripped onto the side of the table and turned away. "I suppose it makes the divide between me and her bigger. I suppose I was thinking..."

Tohru gave her an imploring look to carry on. "I guess I came here, thinking that if I got closer to her family I might be able to get closer to her again." She looked away with a regretful expression on her face but Tohru quickly took her arm.

"It's alright to let them in." Tohru told her desperately. "It's alright. It's alright to let the world in as well. That might even help you remember her better."

Rosalie was completely shaken by this? Let the world in? If only she knew of the burden she had to carry on her shoulders. If only she knew how dangerous that would be. She couldn't suggest anything more reckless and stupid than that. How would that allow her to remember her mother better? That would just push the memory of her away from her mind more easily. She had to remain in this little sphere. Because she had allowed herself to get closer to the Sohma's than she should she was beginning to forget her mother and start become closer to Momiji. Why would she do that? She wouldn't allow herself something like that before. She was undeserving of such things. She was an outsider, she wasn't like normal people therefore she didn't deserve the things that normal people had.

She gave Tohru a tight smile and got to her feet. "I'm sorry. I think I need some air."

"Are you alright? Was it something I said?" Tohru asked worriedly. Rosalie lied and shook her head.

"No. I'm just feeling a little hot. It's nothing. To be honest I think it's the jet lag. Even though its been a few days it seems to be taking my toll on me."

"Shall I come out with you?"

Rosalie turned round expecting it to be Yuki, when it turned out to be Momiji. His chocolate brown eyes burned into hers, almost as if it they were threatening her to not reject him on this request. She nodded wordlessly but walked out before him. She didn't want to wait for him, instead she wanted a few moments by herself. Even if he caught up with her within just a few seconds she wanted to be alone.

"Something's wrong."

Rosalie turned round to face him once they had reached the back garden. The sound of the little waterfall and the birds chirping was peaceful and calm. She came out here sometimes when she wanted a moment to herself and when she felt like she was completely and utterly alone in the world. She hoped that an argument wouldn't arise to disturb the peace. The expression on Momiji's face was ambigious. She didn't know whether he wanted to kill her. Whether he wanted to step forward and pull her into a passionate embrace. Whether her wanted to tell her terrible secret. Momiji had such a sweet, handsome face but she could now see that a beautiful face would hide anything. When she realised this she was ashamed of herself for her moment of naivety. She should know that all too well, that something ugly could be hidden behind a beautiful face.

"There's something wrong inside you and you don't want to tell anyone about it." Momiji's voice was shaking with anger and despair.

Rosalie took a step back and gulped. "I don't know what you're talking about Momiji but can you please stop. It scares me."

"What else scares you? A lot of things seem to scare you. Like telling the truth. That seems to be something that you fear quite a lot."

"A lot of horrible things can happen when you tell the truth." She mumbled.

"Also you seemed scared that I want to get close to you. Why is that?"

"Because I'm ugly inside. People tell me I'm a special and important person but I'm ugly inside. I don't want to infect you with it."

"What is that ugliness? Maybe its something you're mistaking for ugliness. A man can say to a pretty girl that she's ugly when actually she's beautiful but the problem is that he's blind and misguided in what he thinks is beautiful. You said that it was dangerous to get to know you...Why?"

"Like I said I might hurt you by infecting you with the darkness inside me."

"Why do you insist in there being darkness inside you? It is said that eyes are the windows to the soul and when I look into yours...I see no darkness."

"What do you see then?" She demanded.

Momiji didn't answer her for a while, it was only until a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "I see someone who is lost and waiting to be found."

Rosalie couldn't breathe. She stared up at Momiji and felt herself go cold even though it was a warm spring morning.

"It's true isn't it? You're lost in the darkness and you want a way out. But you need someone to find you and lead the way. Why can't you let us do that? Why can't you let us close enough to find you again?"

He led out his hand and brushed his fingers against herself. The feeling tingled at first then it sent a jolt of electricity through her body. Her body shivered with fear and something else Rosalie feared more but yearned for more than anything else. It was strange to have a feeling which she hated, feared, desired all at the same time. Ever since she arrived in Japan nothing made sense. Before she understood the world in a black and white sort of manner and now everything was messed up in the complexities of the outside world which she hadn't been prepared for simply because she hadn't decided to brave the risks of doing so until now. She jumped and drew back from him suddenly. She looked afraid again but not of him. She looked afraid of herself. She looked up at Momiji her eyes were watering over and he stepped forwards to wrap his arms around her but she stepped back again. She looked like she might run away from him if he persisted so he decided to keep his distance.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I'm hurting your feelings but I think you need to be told these things. If you want what makes you scared the most you need to be told cruel things."

Rosalie had no reply for this. She simply stared down at the waterfall listening to the gentle sound of water trickling and flowing away from its source.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Ten

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan,_

_Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death;_

_And, from the organ-pipe of frailty, sings_

_His soul and body to their lasting rest._

_**~ William Shakespeare, King John (1598), Act V, scene 7, line 21.**_

~ (***) ~

"Have you got everything?"

Tohru looked up with a startled expression at her boyfriend who was looking down at her in the same cool but affectionate manner he looked at his girlfriend with. She found it strange that it was him asking her and not the other way round. After all, she was always the one who liked to look after other people. She was the one who always wanted to pack the night before she went back or went on vacation somewhere. She looked down at the her things and found her suitcase had been securely packed and was ready go. She was just sitting there thinking rather than anything else. She was lost in her own little dream world for a moment but was also thinking about a particular girl who had been on her mind since her arrival. She was sure that there was something mysterious about Rosalie Laurent. She knew there was something that she was hiding she just couldn't figure out what that was exactly. She quickly smiled and nodded. However Kyo knew this as the face to cover up something or some problem she didn't want to bother him with. He took her by the shoulders and leaned his face close to hers.

"What is it?"

Tohru cast her huge blue eyes up at Kyo and looked away quickly. "It's noth-"

"I've been dating you for long enough to know that when you're bothered by something its anything but nothing. So tell me, that's what I'm here for anyway right?"

Tohru peeked back at Kyo who had a warm, encouraging smile on his face. "I feel like I'm...I feel like I shouldn't be leaving Rosalie like this. I can see that she's suffering from the death of her mother and there's other things she's hiding like you all were. She needs someone here to...'

Tohru stopped and looked down at the ground to collect her thoughts and could see raindrops falling from above. She smiled knowing that it was never a good sign for it to rain but at least they would be driving in it. Then again that would make the roads even busier but at least she and Kyo will be together. She liked being with Kyo, it seemed selfish but she liked it when it was just her and Kyo. It made her understand why her mother wanted to be with her father so much. She looked above her head and saw that there wasn't a rain cloud in sight. She reached out to her face and realised that they were tears rolling down her cheeks. Kyo stepped forward and wiped away her tears affectionately and held her in his arms. She held onto him tightly, almost as if to silently tell him to never let her go. The only reason why she never said things like that out loud was because she didn't have to. He always knew what she wanted. Tohru sobbed into his shirt and she thought of Rosalie who seemed like a little girl, helpless and abandoned despite being a year older than Tohru. She seemed so strong and had a suit of armour which kept everyone out however Tohru could see that she needed someone to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright, that it was alright to let people in and that it was alright to cry.

"She'll be alright.' Kyo assured her. 'She's a big girl, besides she has plenty of people here to take care of her."

"I still remember when you were all here." Her muffled voice replied. "And you all needed someone to tell you all those things which no one had told you. Like it's alright to want to be with other people, that there's nothing wrong with falling in love with that person and that it's alright to cry when you need to."

Kyo stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead. "Yeah, I know. I think the rest of the Sohma family have learnt enough to know that she needs that. They can spot someone so distant, so afraid f the outside world to know that that's what they need to do. That they need to help her, it's all they've really been talking about. Don't worry you can trust them."

Tohru looked up at him tearfully and nodded. "Okay." She replied weakly.

"Okay? Besides," He wrapped his arms around her waist and tilted his head. "I'd be pretty sad and lonely if you didn't come back with me. Remember? We're going to be together."

"Always." She replied, remembering her promise.

Kyo smiled. "That's my girl."

This was something else Tohru hoped for Rosalie. She hoped that one day she might have a boyfriend who would love her unconditionally and would want to be with her all the time. Or maybe not even a boyfriend, just someone. It could even be a friend, someone to talk to about all those hopes and fears that she had. The good times which passed her by and those moments which made her realise even though life could be hard just reminding yourself that it could be worse made it easier. She hoped that Rosalie would trust someone enough to allow them to love her. She noticed that she had become particularly close to Yuki but she knew it was down to the fact that their parents were twins. Perhaps they felt they were bound to one another as Yuki becoming the brother she never had and Rosalie being the sister Yuki never had. If she had grey hair, she could've been mistaken for being his twin. Besides, Tohru noticed that Momiji had become fond of her and remembered from a letter how excited he was about her coming to Japan and how curious he was about who she was and what she was like. There had been times during the dinner and yesterday where they were both and alone and seemed...She wasn't sure. It seemed like they were acting like Tohru and Kyo acted towards one another. When they were in love with one another but didn't want to admit to it.

"Hey!" Kyo and Tohru looked up and saw Rin and Haru, with their daughter in tow walking towards them.

"We were hoping to catch up with you guys before you left." Haru greeted. "Considering that you're taking her away from us again, Kyo."

"I'M NOT TAKING ANYONE AWAY! SHE'S COMING OUT OF HER OWN FREE WILL DAMMIT!" Kyo protested.

"Alright, Kyo. Calm down." Rin scolded. "We were having a joke. We're even considering moving somewhere else ourselves."

Kyo gave them a blank look whereas Tohru was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "Oh really? Where are you thinking of moving?"

"We haven't decided yet. We were thinking of definitely living somewhere by the sea."

"Why there?" Kyo asked curiously.

Haru shrugged his shoulders. "We just thought its a nice spot to live and also it'd probably be quite a peaceful and ideal place to raise a kid. We'd like Izumi to have as much happy memories as possible, where better than by the sea?"

"Yeah I suppose I can see what you mean." Kyo mused. "But does it matter where the kid is but more about how much the parents make sure that the kid feels like it's loved."

Haru smiled slyly. "Kyo...you sound like you're ready to be a father. Do I hear the sound of little feet or is that just me?"

Kyo blushed and was about to shout something back at him before another voice interrupted. "Haru, honestly don't tempt fate. Just imagine having another carbon-copy of Kyo running around."

Kyo spun round recognising the voice and preparing to pounce on his prey. Yuki was walking up to the car holding hands with Machi. He had a look of distain and disgust on his face, probably at the comment and idea of Kyo and Tohru reproducing.

"ALRIGHT YOU DAMN RAT-"

"Yuki how nice to see you!' Tohru interjected, in attempt to prevent a fight between the two. Yuki cast a gracious smile in Tohru's direction.

"I was happy to come down and say goodbye. Despite it would make me a great deal more happier, along with many others that you weren't leaving us again." He added acidly at a fuming Kyo.

"Er...Well, um..."

"But no matter. I'm sure eventually when Kyo finally learns something about martial arts you'll finally be able to settle down somewhere. What is it like moving from place to place?"

"Huh? Well I think it's quite nice, considering you get to see new places and you make so many good friends as well. I've still kept in contact with a few people from work and all that kind of thing."

"I see. I suppose there is an attraction to travelling in some ways."

He wrapped an arm around Machi and held her close to him. He could see why Kyo dragged her along on, what Yuki thought, as his futile conquest. He hated him for it but he could understand why he was doing it. He knew what it was like to be apart from someone you loved, the pain of being separated from another human being who frankly meant more to you than that being so far away was unbearable. The thought of Machi being far away was hard when he was studying away from Tokyo. He couldn't imagine leaving Machi alone somewhere and forcing himself to be far from her. After being together for so long, he imagined Machi felt the same way on the matter. He and Machi had moved in together after dating for three years they felt it was the right time to do so (despite people beginning to question them when they were going to get married). Most people rushed into it after dating for a few months and others were still living in separate apartments after dating for ten years, so Yuki saw their case as relatively normal. Yuki had never loved someone so much, he loved Tohru but only saw her as the maternal figure he always yearned for from his own mother. Machi was someone he wanted to hold close on those cold, lonely nights. Or someone that made him feel happy and content when they smiled.

"I was wondering," Machi began. "What you wanted to do with your life, Tohru?"

Tohru blinked at her and tilted her head. "I'm sorry?"

"I mean...I know you're going with Kyo just to support him and earn some money and experience but have you ever stopped to think what you want to do with your life?"

Tohru hesitated and realised that in fact she hadn't thought about this at all. "No. I never really thought about it. I mean...My Mom always told me to graduate and I have so...I can't really think about what I want to do with my life..."

"Oh..." Machi replied in a distant voice. "Well I'm sure its one of those things you'll stumble upon one day. Sometimes it takes people years for them to find what they're supposed to do with their lives."

Tohru nodded however looking a little uncertain. "Yeah. I guess the one thing I've always wanted to be is happy and I'm happy now so...Well...Actually, Yuki can I speak to you privately for a moment."

Yuki nodded and walked down the road till they were just out of earshot. "I need you to promise something to me."

Yuki nodded. "Anything, Miss Honda."

Tohru took a deep breath. "I need you to promise me that you'll look after Rosalie. I know it sounds ridiculous..."

Yuki shook his head. "No it doesn't. Believe me I have the same concerns for her as you do. I can see that she is going through the same things we went through when we were all still under the curse of the Zodiac. We've all been...discussing how there has always been something that the Laurent family is hiding and I know she's scared of this and she needs help. So I assure you, Miss Honda, I'm already on it."

Tohru nodded but looked regretful. "What is it?"

"Well, I would've liked to see her one last time. Before I left."

"Well they knew that you were leaving today. I'm sure that they'll be here...if they want to. You have to respect the fact that you are family to us but not her yet and really Erik isn't part of the Sohma family anyway."

Tohru nodded and started to walk back to the car where Kyo was waiting. She turned to him with a small smile beginning to spread across her lips like warm butter. Just looking towards him made her feel safe. Just knowing that he was close by made her feel like there was nothing to fear about what was to come or what was going to happen to all of them. She knew that this was going to be another time in their short histories where something was going to come along and change everything forever. His short, orange hair was blowing in the wind as he looked out in the direction they were going to be driving in. He was what she thought what a free spirit was like. He was always looking out into the distance for the next place he was going to stay. Although he always wanted the reassurance of her hand in his so that he knew he wouldn't be facing it alone. He had that look on his face which told her that he was longing to go back to where they had running to. Maybe that was what Rosalie was doing. She was running away from whatever it was that she needed to get away from. She knew it was time to go and that it was best not to continue waiting around. Kyo wanted to go home, to the home which really wasn't their home. They were only home when they were together. It just made it harder to leave if she stayed any longer. She appreciated the fact that not everyone was going to be able to make it and Kyo wanted to avoid traffic. He hated traffic. He hated driving full stop. The car was just borrowed off someone Kyo knew quite well from the dojo he was currently training at. It saved them money from buying train fares, but it made the journey all the more longer.

She hugged everyone goodbye before allowing herself to be taking away in the car. When she sat down in the seat Kyo was so eager to get away that he started the engine before she even put her seat belt on. Arisa and Hana arrived last minute with Kureno and Kazuma, adding an extra two hours being stuck in traffic. Kyo wanted to get away as soon as possible but he was more than willing to hold off the departure for his guardian. Arisa and Hana, as usual, were scolding Kyo for 'taking their Tohru from them'. He had to roll his eyes every time they said that, despite the fact that they had given him their blessing the first time round, but with the way that they treated him was almost like they were her parents. Kazuma was continually offering Kyo a job at his dojo where Kyo would decline, claiming he wasn't ready to teach or even inherit Kazuma's dojo. It almost got to the point where Kyo was hiding in the car from everyone and also it was a sign that they really needed to get a move on. Tohru put him out his misery by slipping into the car and waving to everyone. Kyo started to engine before she even closed the door and shot off. As they drove through the streets Tohru spotted a girl on the side. She peered closer and recognised the violet eyes and the night black hair. Their eyes met and Tohru raised a hand and waved at her. Rosalie waved back with a single tear rolling down her cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Eleven

For **Kiri-chan 'n' Kimi-chan**

A couple of days after Tohru's departure Rosalie decided to go to the Sohma house to apologise to Momiji. She had to hold onto him. She had to allow her the chance that he could be the the person which could help her branch to the outside world. Many people had tried but she always scared them off. Instead he kept on looking through the keyhole wondering what was going on behind the door. He deserved an explanation and an apology for her behaviour. If she came here for the reasons that she did she needed to start building those bridges. She needed to start living her life. She had been walking on this earth for twenty two years and she had been living half an existence, probably even less than that. Every day she mourned for the girl she wanted to be but was never able to come out into the world. That was the reason why she cried as Tohru and Kyo were driving away. When she saw the girl who was so much like her drive away, she mourned again for the girl she could be. She could've been so happy like Tohru. She could have so many friends, a family to love her. She watched her behind the trees from across the road watching as they hugged and kissed her goodbye. They all got to say goodbye. She never got to say goodbye to the people that she loved. Her mother died so suddenly. Her father, she left him one day and she received a call the next morning that he had died in the night. The question of why she didn't stay there for the night circulated in her mind in her weeks, it still did. She couldn't erase the guilt that she felt for both her parents deaths as Yuri's words still echoed in her mind. She could've been that happy girl if she allowed herself to be.

As she walked through the gates of the Sohma estate she felt the spring wind tickle against her skin. As the days passed by she remembered why she loved spring so much as a child. It was because she loved spring in Japan. She could almost hear her heartbeat, it didn't thud with vicious urgency but rather like a fluttering newborn sparrow. Her mother would always tell her that she was a child of spring, it was why she gave her her middle name. _Haruko_. It was probably her imagination but she couldn't help but always have an affinity for the sounds the world made as well as the sounds of her own heartbeat. She always seemed to be able to hear things better than others, maybe it was part of her curse. Maybe the sounds that she heard were whispers of the life source she could control and mould to her making. Ever since she had discovered what she was she found that everything had a voice. Just thinking of this reminded her of the summer evenings or spring afternoons laid under their willow tree as she would press her ear against where he mother's heart was. It was so calming, it made her think it was a lullaby.

Rosalie raised her hand to the door but was startled by an unexpected voice. "Miss Rosalie?"

Rosalie spun round to find her violet eyes meeting another pair of violet eyes. Yuki Sohma stood before her with a calm expression on his face and with a smile on his face. Machi, his girlfriend was also there standing beside her boyfriend obedient and silent. She almost looked like a ghost rather than a girlfriend.

"What are you doing here?"

Rosalie opened her mouth but no sound passed her lips. "You came to see someone, perhaps?" He offered. Rosalie nodded hurriedly.

"Who was it?"

"Momiji." She answered. "I needed to speak with Momiji."

Yuki regarded her with some suspicion now. He remembered when spying outside the window that they both seemed to be in the midst of an argument the last time they spoke. She must've been here to apologise. That seemed to be the most logical explanation but he had a feeling that she was here for another reason. Another thing that she had noticed between Momiji and Rosalie was that there was some tension between the two. A tension which seemed to resemble that which he had between himself and Machi. Or Tohru and Kyo.

"I see. Well, I am sorry to tell you that Momiji is not here today. He went to go see some friends, but please stay a moment. I've been meaning to talk to you."

Rosalie began to shake a little and nodded. Yuki took this as a sign to continue. "Well, I was just wondering how you were."

Rosalie blinked with surprise. "How I was? Well I'm fine. Thank you. It's very kind of you to concern yourself with such a thing." She replied politely.

"Not at all. You are family after all. Or are you not used to this kind of thing? From your own family I mean."

"Don't be silly, Yuki. Of course she is." Machi interjected, to Rosalie's relief. "Don't mind him, Miss Rosalie. He's just teasing."

"Am I?" Yuki replied lightly. "You tell me, Miss Rosalie. Am I teasing?"

His eyes seemed to be challenging her for a moment. He was challenging her to lie to him but tell him the truth at the same time. She knew what his violet eyes were saying to her. They were saying to her, _I see you_. _I see you, and the secrets you are determined to hide beneath those violet eyes of yours_. _But we are the same. We are the same you and I so I can see you better than others. _Those silent words frightened her.

"Yuki." Another voice joined the conversation, which turned out to be the voice of Hatori. However it was the man accompanying him which shocked her even more. He had a solemn, cold expression plastered on his face which Rosalie could spot from a mile away.

"William."

"Rosalie. I was just speaking with Hatori Sohma before I arrived at your Grandmother's house."

"I thought you were back in Venice. Or at least by now."

"I decided it would be best if I stay here in Japan to watch over you. Also I was worried that you might have tried to chuck Erik out of a window by now."

Rosalie began to fume. "I have more control over myself. It's him who has the problem with that."

She heard Yuki laugh behind her making her blush. He waved his hand. "Oh no, no. It's just that it reminds me of the squabbles I have with my cousin."

"Is your cousin an annoying, stupid, incompetent Casanova?" She asked darkly.

Yuki thought on this for a split second. "Except for the Casanova part yes."

"Which cousin would this be then?" She retorted dryly.

"Kyo." He answered simply, earning him a surprised but blank look.

"Oh. I thought you two didn't get along."

However Rosalie stopped worrying about this and more about why William was here. She knew that there was more of a reason other than Erik's welfare as to why William was staying in Japan. She narrowed her eyes at him knowing that on the way home there was going to be a serious conversation on why he was here.

"I did also explain to Hatori about the medical attention you and Erik need considering the condition you both share."

Rosalie's ears pricked at this excuse. _That was a new one. _

"Hatori here insisted that he would be able to help being a doctor however I insisted I should stay considering this was a family condition so it's a delicate matter."

Hatori glanced at him in a manner Rosalie could recognise all too well. He was in on the lie as well. Meaning...He knew. She shot a glance at William which was only returned with a cool look as if to tell her all would be explained soon.

"How are you settling in, Miss Rosalie?" Hatori's haunting voice asked her.

Rosalie nodded her head. "Fine. Thank you for you asking."

"My pleasure. You are family now. Your welfare and health is our concern."

"Of course your health is to be managed by myself." William added. Hatori gave him the same look a fallen warrior gave to the victor but hadn't given up. "Anyway Rosalie what were you here for?"

"I was here to talk to Momiji Sohma but he doesn't seem to be here."

"I can give him a message if you like." Hatori offered. Rosalie hesitated and even considered declining this but then had an idea.

"_Liebesbotschaft_." She answered.

"I'm sorry?"

" _Liebesbotschaft." _She repeated. "He'll understand what that means."

William gave her a look, not understanding German but was sure to look it up tonight to see what the encrypted message meant.

"Well if that's all, Rosalie and I will leave you." William announced, wrapping a firm around her shoulders. They waved them goodbye before walking through the gates.

"Why are you here?" She demanded.

William raised an eyebrow. "Am I not allowed to be here? To look after my younger cousins?"

She almost laughed at this. "Believe me, William. I may not know a lot about the world but I am certainly not a fool so why are you here?"

"To make sure neither of you do anything stupid." He replied darkly. "If something happens, Yuri will not be happy and I think you of all people know what happens when Yuri isn't happy."

Rosalie shivered at the thought and nodded. "Yes."

"I hope you don't think I'm doing this out of spite." He said gravely. Rosalie looked up and saw that there was a hint of sincerity in his eyes but she still had to doubt him. William was not the sentimental type. "I am doing this to protect you. There is also something else you should know?"

"What?" She asked curtly.

"I told Hatori. Our secret I mean." She stared at him with horror. Isn't that the reason why he's here. "He insisted and I think not telling him would've caused more damage. Don't worry he won't tell anyone. I am sure."

"Lets hope so!"

"Rosalie. I think you and I both know that I have lived with this for longer than you have so I will know how to deal with this better than you. You just need to trust me."

Rosalie gave him one final look and said, "I have a bit of a problem with trusting people in this family." Before walking away in the spring wind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twelve

For **Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**

_Nothing separates the sea from the heavens_

_from the vesperal depths below,_

_On deck no one is dancing yet the orchestra plays on,_

_A subtle death-hymn, they play their last song,_

_A final song to sooth the soul,_

_A few last notes played in tears,_

_A final song to ease the pain,_

_A few last notes as we sink in fear,_

_With the dying lights last spark,_

_Commotion hits like chaos bewitched,_

_Abandoned in darkness,_

_A great wave of desperation overcomes the frantic mass, amidst the reigning pandemonium,_

_No melody can be heard, the orchestra therefore decides to lay their instruments to rest and opt for the sea soothing silence_

_For no one can drown out 1000 dying screams_

_**~ Swan Song, Monarch**_

~ (***) ~

"WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!"

Rosalie felt something, or to put it more accurately someone crash down on her and practically suffocating her with a pillow.

"Muffin a pillo on mi heed izzt goin te heep." Said a voice from beneath the pillow. Erik leaned forwards and placed his ear close to a gap where he allowed Rosalie to breath.

"Sorry?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"I said." She began with a clear through the hole, she threw Erik off her back and glared down at him as he landed on a heap on the floor. "Putting a pillow on my head isn't going to help."

"Ah, usually you would be attacking me right now. You seem to be quite Zen right now. Maybe the Japanese culture does have a good effect on you." He mused.

"It's not that it's just I can't be bothered right now that's all." She replied.

Erik gave her a knowing look. "Ah I see, its the conversation with William that's bothering you. Look I'm sure it'll be fine, better him than Yuri. Eh?"

She to admit she agreed with that compromise, but why would Yuri allow him to do something like that? She was surprised she and Erik got a pass to go to Japan at all. Yuri always liked to keep the family close.

"Erik...Do you not see that there is something wrong with this? I mean it's very unlike Yuri to behave in this manner, you can agree with that at least."

Erik considered this then shrugged his shoulders. "I tend to stay out of these things. Keep things light you know."

"Don't I know it." She muttered and looked away.

Rosalie still couldn't help feeling that everything was crashing down on her again. Instead of the walls being rebuilt she felt like she was being suffocated by some invisible force which seemed to overpower her. She felt like she couldn't move but she wanted to get as far away as possible from the place that she was in. She was tied to a rail-track and could see the train in the distance waiting to bring her to her final end. She felt so free, away from Yuri's clutches but not for long. She was back in her cage again. This was Yuri's way of keeping her in line. This was what Yuri had planned all along. Allowing them passage to Japan was a trick. Yuri allowed them to believe that they had a moment of freedom when in fact she was only allowing them a mile to stretch their legs. Soon they would have to be pulled back into the fold and there was nothing Rosalie could do to stop it.

"I wanted to get away." She whispered. "So badly..."

Erik looked over at her. "Did you say something?"

Rosalie sighed and shook her head. "No. It was nothing important. I'm just wondering now whether we'll be able to keep up the charade."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean since one of the Sohma's knows our secret." She stated. Erik jumped up and stared at Rosalie.

"What? Who?"

"Hatori. The family doctor. William told him."

"Why?"

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He said it would cause less damage if he told him the truth. I wonder if Yuri knows or even told him to do that." She mused with a malicious grin on her face.

Erik shifted from side to side with concern. "Now knowing that I have to admit there is a cause for concern now."

"Quite." She replied dryly. "Erik, why did you come? To Japan?"

Erik was quiet for a moment, no much longer for a moment. She could tell he was considering whether to tell her or that this length of silence was due to him collecting in his thoughts in order to give her a coherent answer.

"There was a girl."

Rosalie couldn't help but grin. There was always a girl involved with Erik. She had a feeling that he probably revealed his secret to her by accident and that she was being dealt with. It was protocol and Rosalie going to Japan must've been an opportune time to leave the country for a while. It amazed her that Erik could still flirt with air hostesses and various other women without regarding this incident as a wake-up call or revelation of some kind.

"Really? What happened with this girl?"

"I fell in love with her. I hardly knew her and she hardly knew me but I knew that I loved her. The problem was I knew that if she found out who and what I was it would taint her. I'm not just talking about Yuri, it's also what we are. She was so pure, so free I loved her enough to know that I should let her go knowing she would be better off."

Rosalie looked over at her cousin and narrowed her eyes. His eyes seemed to have misted over and and his face was as clear as a summer's day. There seemed to be a genuine, honest expression on his face but also at the same time it was similar to that of someone recalling a summer romance with a childhood sweetheart. Distant but impossible to forget. What was necessary to end but never to regret. However Rosalie asked what would be the most inappropriate question in this sort of situation with most people.

"Are you making this up or for once are you actually being honest?"

Erik glared at her, the calm, amused face vanishing in an instant. "No, I am not." He replied darkly.

Rosalie stared back at him and quickly looked away. "Alright."

She still found it hard to believe that her cousin could be such a romantic without having some perverted end. Most men were like that anyway, Erik was far from being an exception from the rule. She didn't know much about relationships since she had never been in one but she could spot of a pervert or a Casanova from a mile off. After having Erik for a cousin for nineteen years, save the first few years of his life was much of an education to her on the matter. However his reactions disconcerted her slightly and almost made her believe that this was actually the case. She didn't erase that nagging doubt that Erik was being sincere. He never behaved like this. On the other hand, there was always a first for everything.

"Erik.."

"Yes?" He snapped.

"What does it feel like?" She asked hesitantly. He turned round slowly and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Have you never...?" She shook her head. "Really? Wow, you need to go out more. You feel like you would do anything for that person. That it would hurt so much not to be with that person but if it was necessary you would do it in an instant. It makes hurt in places you never thought you had before. The very thought of them makes you happier and sadder than you've ever been. That's what it's like and more."

"Wow." She breathed. "Now I know you're full of it." Erik laughed and got to his feet.

"Well, Madame, I will allow you to dress as we shall be going out today."

Rosalie frowned. "What? We're doing what?"

"Well, it's occurred to me that you've been stuck in this house for far too long and really since the point of coming to a different country is to explore it therefore being stuck inside the house all day defeats the point of that. So...Get dressed."

"What makes you think I'm going to do what you say?"

"Well let's put it this way. You can get dressed and I leave the room or I'll tear your night clothes on and put some clothes of my choice." He replied in a seductive voice. Rosalie glared at him.

"Get. Out." She replied.

"I thought so." He said before walking out the door. When she was about to remove her nightdress he stuck his head around the door. "Oh, and dress warm I think it looks a little cold outside."

"Thank you, Erik. I think I know what it's like in Japan in the spring." She replied through gritted teeth.

He flashed a smile at her before leaving the room, Rosalie fumed thinking of how she was going to repay him when she got downstairs.

Rosalie began thinking whether she had these feelings for Momiji. She always seemed to be thinking about him. She wanted to be with him but she knew it was best that he stayed away from her as far as possible. The thought of him made her angrier than she had been towards another person but she wanted him to like her as well. The thought of him made her happy and feel as calm as she did when she was a little girl lying under the willow tree with her mother. However it also saddened her that it was pretty much impossible that they could freely be together. She knew that Yuri would never permit it. She knew he would be happy with someone else. It was better that she didn't fall in love with him. She shook the thought from her mind but knew that this was what she wanted and needed.

She needed someone who would comfort her in the times where she didn't want to be alone. In fact she was tired of being alone. She wanted someone who she could spend hours upon hours with and didn't tire of their company. She wanted someone who would accept her for who she was and she wouldn't hesitate at the chance of allowing them to do so. She had to have her own little world to share with someone. She had been trapped in the world of the Laurent's and if they weren't going to allow her to have the world she was entitled to having her own. No matter how small it would be.

"Are you ready or do I have to come in there?" Erik demanded from the other side of the door.

Rosalie huffed as she pulled on the woolly jumper. "Coming!"

"Good. Nana's just finished making breakfast." He replied.

Rosalie frowned and stormed through the door. "What gives you the right to call her Nana? She's not even your Nana!" She shouted after him.

Erik gave her a puppy dog look. "Am I not allowed to call her Nana?"

"No." She replied, deadpan.

"You know I sometimes wonder if you have a heart of stone, Rosalie Laurent."

"I'm not being insensitive, I'm just stating a fact." She replied.

"She said I can call her Nana." He protested.

Rosalie groaned at her Nana's tolerance and knew that no private conversation could reverse this. It was only going to be harder if she didn't let it go.

"What are you both arguing about now?" A haunting voice interrupted. Erik and Rosalie jumped at William's presence in the hallway.

"Rosalie, it's lovely to see you up. It took you a while." He commented.

When she was about to shout back at him she remembered it wasn't Erik who made the comment and backed off.

"Sorry."

"Never mind but I should remind you not to make a habit of it."

"Uh-huh."

"Very well. Your Grandmother has made us breakfast it would be polite to not keep her waiting." He said and turned to walk down the stairs.

_I swear I think I might kill one of the men in this household before we go back to Venice, _she thought.

She made her way down the stairs and was greeted by her Nana who had made her...cereal. She wasn't disappointed that her Nana didn't make such an effort everyone was making out but that everyone was making a big deal out of something she could make herself. She shot a look in Erik's direction who seemed to cower behind the table.

"Erik don't slump." William chided.

Erik jumped and then jumped again at the knock at the door.

"I wonder who that is." Nana murmured and made her way to the door.

"You're dead you know that right?" She threatened darkly in Erik's direction.

"Yeaahhh..." He shivered.

"Rosalie! Someone's here to see you!" Nana called.

"Coming!"

She hurried round the corner to find the most welcome, the most unexpected, the person she had been dreading to see face to face once again standing before her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirteen

For **DarkAngelNeko666**

_The wild swan's death-hymn took the soul_

_Of that waste place with joy_

_Hidden in sorrow: at first to the ear_

_The warble was low, and full and clear; ..._

_But anon her awful jubilant voice,_

_With a music strange and manifold,_

_Flow'd forth on a carol free and bold;_

_As when a mighty people rejoice_

_With shawms, and with cymbals, and harps of gold..._

_**~ Tennyson, The Dying Swan**_

~ (***) ~

"You wanted to see me?"

Rosalie stood there frozen in the hallway as she stared into the amber brown eyes of Momiji Sohma, unable to speak.

"Yuki told me you were looking for me the other day. I apologise. I was out with some friends I hope I didn't inconvenience you."

She shook her head. "Not at all. I needed the walk." She managed.

She had no idea what she was to do in this situation. She was never used to catching someone's attention like this before. She was sure if Hilda was here she would be able to give her some pointers, in fact she would be more than happy to do so because of the novelty of it. She certainly didn't know what to do about when she actually didn't mind it but knew that it would lead to disaster if she allowed it to persist. That was the main problem really, that he persisted. She never went out of her way to get into difficult social situations, let alone social situations full stop. Yes, she wanted to speak to him, to apologise to him for her behaviour however she was secretly grateful he wasn't there that day. She wasn't sure whether she was ready to speak to him again, to look him in the eye because she feared that next time he would find out her secret. That he would be able to look deep enough into her soul and be able to see the dark secret that lies within.

The very look which he had given her countless times made her feel like she couldn't move. She felt like all air had been sucked out of her lungs. She wanted to shake all over but her body couldn't bring its to make a single movement. It made her feel naked, like there was nothing to hide and there was nothing to do but admit that he was right about whatever he was presuming. There was something inside her, harping at her to let it go. To let him have whatever it was that he wanted from her because it was what she wanted too, though there was still that taunting, doubtful voice in her head telling her otherwise. He was good at that, as if he knew all too well what it was like to keep such a dark secret. She felt like there was some form of empathy beginning to cloud over his vision when she beginning to actually lead up to actually telling him everything but the problem was that she soon found herself She still wanted to appear as the shy and socially awkward cousin from France. She didn't want him to find out the truth otherwise...that would change everything. She was safe in her own little world of lies. If he were to find out the truth he would question what she was or whether she was mad. She tried to remain calm. To tell herself that he wasn't going to find out. That he was just coming here to find out what she wanted to talk to him about. It was reasonable enough. But what if it was _that _he wanted to talk about? She turned around to look for her Nana but found that she had gone back into the dining room. She turned back to Momiji who had an expectant look on his face.

"I...er...I just wanted to apologise for the way I behaved last time we talked. Or have been behaving. You've all been so welcoming and nice and I've been acting so ungratefully I just wanted to...Say that."

Momiji nodded and then stopped. "Is that all?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well...I just feel sometimes that you want to say something else. Sometimes. I don't know if I'm making any presumptions but...Sometimes I feel like you want to say something but you're holding back."

"Why?"

"Because you're scared."

Now she could admit to being stuck. She was stuck for a way of deflecting the theory in another direction but she knew that he was right and that he was too determined to be tricked into thinking that something else was the truth. She could have lied like so many times before and a tactic which actually saved her from a lot of potentially difficult situations. She didn't know what to do because she made sure she never got herself in this situation before. He had got it. He had hit it straight in the eye. She felt like she had been running through the darkness from something, thinking that she was safe, that as long as the curtain of the night was thrown upon her she would be safe. But now they had found a light to shine on her and now there was nowhere to hide. Not even the night could hide her. She couldn't move nor speak. She was caught between running away and never seeing him again, telling another weak lie to hold him off for a while or tell him the truth. The third was the option she put at the bottom of the list. Momiji wanted her to make some sort of reply but she wasn't sure what to say. He was pointing out something which they had been discussing, it was more than apparent from her behaviour but she knew this was just the first step. If he saw the fear then he would eventually be able to find out the truth. Her reason was telling her to nip this in the bud and say something that would throw him off course but what could she say?

"I meant what made you think there was something I wanted to say but was...but didn't want to say." She corrected in a challenging voice.

Momiji stared back at her coolly and inclined his head to the side. "I can tell."

She smirked. She almost threw her head back and laughed madly. She wanted to scare him away and think that she was an untouchable madwoman. To just sneer at his answer, to throw him off balance or even to scare him off. That seemed to be an attractive idea to Rosalie at the moment. Momiji seemed to know a lot about these sorts of things. He seemed to be hiding a secret of his own. Or was this something which had long passed. Rosalie regarded him with a suspicious, curious eye and a cunning smirk curling from the corner of her mouth. The Sohma's seemed to rather close to one another. So close that it had seemed that they had faced a great ordeal together and now that they had survived the storm they were able to live as freely and as happily as they wanted. She almost sneered at the idea. Who could be happy in this unforgiving world? Who could be happy in a world why the majority lacked understanding of something they couldn't comprehend or understand?

She looked back at him with a cruel smile. "Can you really?"

He stared back at her. He gave her such a hard stare, one which stared down at her as her naked self and replied, "Yes."

It was an answer which made her shake all over. It made her feel powerless in a helpless situation where she didn't know which way to turn. She nodded to him and turned away. Momiji frowned and was about to go after her. When he opened his mouth to call her name she found that another had already called her.

"Rosalie."

A tall, domineering figure loomed in the doorway to where Rosalie was heading. She gripped onto the closest thing she could as it was so terrifying she thought that she might trip over something. She tended to become incredibly clumsy when she was scared. She looked up at the figure and turned back to Momiji with a look that told him that she was now fearful as to what the figure would do or say to him. She knew that they were wanting him out of the house and as soon as possible. She hurried into the room and closed the door behind her. Momiji remembered him from the airport. He was Erik and Rosalie's older cousin, William Laurent. He didn't remember much other than the fact that he reminded him of his cousin, Hatori. In fact they could have been twins if it wasn't for the fact that he was so obviously English and Hatori was very much the same when it came to his ethnicity. He was a doctor like, so he had heard and had the same glass eyes and slim figure Hatori had. He was almost a clone of him. He still had the same haunting, threatening presence Hatori once had but you still had a feeling that despite the cool exterior he still meant well. He stared back at Momiji coolly, Momiji wasn't sure how he was to interpret this stare. This challenge. He was sure that he was hiding something beneath this though.

William stepped forward brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. "I hope Rosalie didn't make a fool of herself just then. You have to forgive her she something of a- How should I put it? Socially awkward. She doesn't know what to do in most situations as she's tried not to find herself in many."

"I suppose you could call her introverted." Momiji replied.

William looked up and thought about this. He eventually nodded in agreement. "Yes. I suppose that would be a good way of putting it."

Momiji narrowed his eyes at him knowing that there was something he was trying to hide. Just like Rosalie. He was perhaps the person who was telling her to be so deceptive towards others. Maybe he was the reason why she was so afraid.

"I suppose I should go now. I wouldn't wish to be a bother." He replied and turned away. He slid the door open and walked out into the cold wind.

"I hope to see you again, Mr Sohma." William called after him before closing the door.

After closing the door William stood there musing over the short conversation. He knew that it wasn't something to have sleepless nights about but he knew he had been cautious in the next steps he was going to take. There was something in the boys eyes which told him that he knew that there was something that the family was hiding in the world. But it would have been fine if that was the only thing which he got from the tone of his voice and the way that he looked at him. He knew also from what he had overheard in the exchange between him and Rosalie was that he was determined to find out what that was. He was a cautious man so this wasn't exactly going to be difficult. It was obvious enough that the boy had suspected something. He was after whatever it was they were hiding so the only thing to do was for William to find out the reason why he so desperately wanted to know what the family secret was. He could see from the answers and the looks he was giving him when they talked about it. He caught a few words of the conversation he had with Rosalie and could tell she was giving more than enough away. She was being a foolish girl. These Sohma's would easily catch on if what Hatori had told him was true about them having a curse upon them until a few years ago. If this went any further this could be bad. Yuri would certainly not be pleased if the secret got out.

The head of the Laurent family had an intense hatred of the Sohma family. No one ever knew why but from the things which Yuri said about them every now and then he could hear the spite and loathing in Yuri's voice. The strange thing was that it also tended to be a frequent subject which Yuri would always re-visit. Almost anything was enough for the head of the family to remember their existence and for something new to insult them about which was strange if you hated someone's existence you tried to avoid it as much as possible especially when you weren't around them. So Yuri's behaviour pretty much suggested that there was something more than to Yuri's hatred of the Sohma's. William had known about it for years and he knew why. He had to admit it was an understandable reason as much as it was a slightly short-sighed and misguided reason. If events had occurred in a different chain or sequence maybe Yuri would not be as damaged. Yuri wouldn't have been as hateful, not just towards the world, the Sohma family but just in general. Yuri was consumed by too much hatred. It was so lethal and poisonous that Yuri wanted to consume the rest of the family with it as well. After he had finished breakfast William went to find Rosalie, who had gone off to her room. She was sitting with Erik who must've been discussing something trivial since that was the only topic of conversation Erik was capable of handling as far as he knew.

"Rosalie I would like to speak with you." He inquired curtly. She gave Erik a look and glided out the room, closing the door behind her. She leaned against the wall and craned her neck back to talk to William.

"Yes?"

"I would like you to start thinking about how you behave around outsiders in the near future before Yuri steps in. I am only warning you out of concern that you have been attracting to this family."

Rosalie scoffed. "Is this about Momiji?"

"Yes it is."

"Then you don't have to worry about it. I've dealt with it."

"If only you were a better liar." He sneered. She looked away dismissively. "Listen to me. Momiji Sohma is no where near from putting this behind him. He is going to make sure he finds out what you are hiding so you better start learning how to convince him that there is nothing wrong. That means no hesitating. No freezing up. No stuttering. Being timid just makes him think that there is something wrong."

"Yeah. I got it." She replied before returning to the room, slamming the door behind her.

She leaned against the door and sighed. It was enough that she was getting herself all wound up about her situation with Momiji Sohma to get someone else worried about it. She was going to get this family in trouble, meaning she was going to get herself in trouble with Yuri. She dreaded thinking about it. She was the one who was going to pay and feel the sting of Yuri's punishing hand. Erik tilted his head and he looked at his cousin sympathetically. He knew it was about the visit Momiji Sohma made this morning. If he was honest he quite liked him. He was the sort of person who he could regard as a kindred spirit.

"Do you want to talk about?" He asked.

"If you really want to." She moaned.

Erik shrugged his shoulders. "It's only if you need to talk about it."

She smirked and fell down the bed. "No. You really want to talk about it because you're nosy by nature."

Erik laughed. "I'm just curious."

"No, dear cousin. Curious is just the polite way of saying nosy. Like sexually assaulted is the polite way of saying rape."

"Oh alright. We won't talk about it." He decided, throwing his hands in the air.

She looked down at her cousin lying on the bed and smirked. "If you want me to talk about because you think it's better for my well being you can just say."

Erik laughed. "Yes but I would just receive a slap around the head now wouldn't I?"

"Only because I know its bull."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Fourteen

For **d92512**

_Winter has come for me, can't carry on._

_The Chains to my life are strong but soon they'll be gone._

_I'll spread my wings one more time._

_Is it a dream?_

_All the ones I have loved calling out my name._

_The sun warms my face._

_All the days of my life, I see them passing me by._

_In my heart I know I can let go._

_In the end I will find some peace inside._

_New wings are growing tonight._

_As I am soaring I'm one with the wind._

_I am longing to see you again, it's been so long._

_We will be together again._

_**~ Swan Song, Within Temptation**_

~ (***) ~

Rosalie was nervous the morning she was going to university. University. Just the sound of going back there but for a reason she wanted to go sounded a little daunting. It was a few days after Momiji had come to talk to her and she still felt nerved from the visit. Then again the stern word she had from William didn't exactly help. What he rammed down her throat was something she already knew, surely he knew she wasn't that stupid. She had been to university before so why she was feeling nervous was beyond her. She wasn't even nervous first time round. She was excited more than anything else. She was going to an institution where she was going to be doing nothing but nourishing the mind and the soul with knowledge. It was Rosalie's idea of heaven in fact. Still, as she was searching through these factors she knew the real reason as to why she was feeling this way. It was because _he_ was going to be there. Once she saw Momiji she was going to break like a glass chandelier and probably run off. That would be a great impression to make on the rest of the faculty and would just be the cherry on top of William's anxieties.

She searched through her clothes and tried on a dozen things from the clothes which she had brought with her but she found what was usually a simple task for her, to be the most difficult decision for her to make. She eventually went safe with a pair of jeans and an Oxford shirt. She didn't want to come across as too lazy or too studious towards other students. If she took this approach she would be creating the image where she wasn't frightening or too approachable. She grudgingly thought that this was a line of thought and an outfit that even William would approve of.

"Yeah he would approve of the lazy student look, wouldn't he?" She muttered to herself.

She brushed her hair quickly and tied it up in a messy, rushed bun and walked downstairs. The few strands of hair which escaped the clutches of her hair tie fell gently against her face and made her look like a country girl who had been walking through the wilderness with the wind howling in her face. Her Nana had made her a special breakfast of eggs and bacon which she thought was delicious and thanked her with a sloppy kiss on the cheek, a big hug and helping her with washing the dishes afterwards. She couldn't remember the last time she washed the dishes, if she thought about it she doubted that she had ever washed the dishes. She never lived in the dorms as she never had to.

During her first degree she lived in the same house she had in Venice since the university wasn't far.

She turned to Erik and narrowed her eyes at what he was wearing. "Did you not even consider making an effort?" She demanded.

Erik looked over his shoulder, still eating his breakfast. "Huh?"

She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind."

She finished drying the last dish and placed it in the cupboard. Her hand shook a little with the feeling of not being able to look back finally beginning to settle in a little bit more. She gave her Nana a quick kiss before leaving the kitchen and returned to her bedroom. She checked herself in the mirror self-consciously before deciding that the less she checked herself the less nervous she would be. She threw herself onto the bed and stared at the photo of her mother on her beside. She brushed her fingers against the glass and smiled. She was sure everything was going to be okay just as long as her mother kept smiling. She knew this was a bit ridiculous considering it was a photo so regardless of whatever situation her mother would always be smiling but then again this was never a bad attitude to have. Her smile faded however, as looking at the photo reminded her of her last moments with her father before he died...

"_Rosalie..."_

_Rosalie turned away from the window to her father. He was in his bed reaching out to her with a shaking hand. He was once a handsome man who was now looked so tired and so...old. She went to his side and too his hand._

"_Father."_

"_I know...I know that I have not been a good father."_

_She tilted her head. "Oh. That's not true."_

"_It is...I have not allowed you to study music...because I was afraid of you becoming like your mother...I was afraid...that you might suffering the same fate as she...I was afraid...that one day I might look upon your face...and I would see a ghost which I once loved so much...and still do...I did not want you to walk down too far the same path as she..."_

"_Father you're tired you must rest." She whispered, stroking his hair back. He took her wrist so suddenly. She was so surprised at the amount of energy he had left in him to grip her wrist so tightly._

"_I know...about the photo...I was to have all of them burnt...I pretended that it was because I found it too painful...to gaze upon her face...But it was Yuri...who commanded that I burn them all...Yuri ordered me...to erase all association the Sohma's had with our family but forgot one thing that still binds us to them...you...And I am grateful for it..."_

"_Father please you have said enough."_

"_No...Not enough...I have not told you enough times...of how much I love you...I was so selfish...I was so selfish...Forgive...Forgive..."_

_It was heartbreaking to find him this way. She was always a little intimidated by her father. He always seemed so tall and strong, but then again that wasn't a difficult thing to do (since most people were taller than her). Though seeing him being so weak, even on his death bed seemed more than a little bit surreal. She never thought of all people that her father's life would end so tragically. Dying of old age was sometimes a blessing in this day and age with the numbers of cancer and tragic accidents on the rise but her father was actually in pain. For him to come to the end of his life in such a state. It was pitiful. Not even Yuri came to visit him in his dying hours. Even though the father and the daughter had never been that close she felt distraught over his condition. His condition. Doctors were boggled over the fact that he had aged so drastically as the actual age that he was at. They found no cause, he was healthy and there was nothing medically to cause this but Rosalie knew the truth. It was a result of the gift he had passed onto his daughter that he had become this way. It made her fear for her own life. Would she come to the end of her days in this condition?_

_She never thought that those words would pass his lips let alone on his deathbed. She kissed him on the forehead before she left the room when a nurse came in to tell her that visiting hours were up. Her fingers brushed against his as she walked away and he had a look in his eyes as if to tell her that he didn't want her to go. Maybe she did look more like her mother than she thought. He seemed to be gazing upon it as if he was calling out to his wife to not leave him. She gave him a caring look as if to tell him that they would be together soon. To not worry about the separation too much as it would come to an end soon. She just didn't know that it was going to end as soon as it did..._

"Rosalie."

She sat up and found Erik peeking around the door. She gave him a look and threw a pillow in his direction which he ducked just in time from, chuckling at her attempt.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

He stood back and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Nice to see you too. I just came in to see how you were. You seemed very quiet this morning."

"I was enjoying my breakfast." She replied simply.

"I guessed as much from quickly you ate it." He said as he sat down on the bed. He peered at her as she cast her eyes downward with an expression which told others that she was deep in thought.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"It would cost more than that." She replied dryly.

"Don't I know it." He chuckled.

She found herself smiling back at him which was a surprise to both of them. They had both encountered a lot of surprised over the past week. However they were happy surprises which was a change in their world. As the days passed Erik and Rosalie were growing closer to one another. They weren't growing close in the romantic sense. They both knew that they would never see each other in that way anyway. Rosalie was too sensible and Erik was too flamboyant. Rosalie was an outcast in the family as much as Erik was only they were isolated for different reasons. Erik was an outcast out of people despising his behaviour and Rosalie merely distanced herself from others. This was what happened, they found, when people shared something in common. She was beginning to see that she found a kindred spirit in Erik. She never thought she would find someone she could see eye to eye on things. Erik being the last person on the planet if this was to ever happen. Despite the major differences in their personalities, their relationship was based on the belief of opposites attracting. Rosalie's icy sarcasm cooled Erik down and Erik's bright playfulness warmed Rosalie up.

"Is it what happened with William?"

She tilted her head from side to side. "Yes and no."

"It has to be one or the other, Rosa."

Her head shot in his direction with a frown on her face. "Rosa?"

"Oh. I was thinking about it the other day. Giving you a nickname. Thought I'd try it. You don't mind do you?"

She thought about it for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't actually. No. Call me Rosa."

"Excellent. Something we agree on."

"Don't get too excited." She warned but still had a smile on her face. /

Erik threw back his head and laughed. "I was a very good reason to do so. The impossible has happened! Ring the church bells! Or the shrine bells! Any bells! The impossible has happened!" He cried running around the house.

She laughed and threw herself on the bed and stared out the window. _Was everything going to be okay?_

"Yes."

She looked up to see Erik in the doorway. "Whatever it is you're asking yourself the answer is yes."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

A/N: Sorry for the slow update! I've had to deal with other stories and my university stuff but now I'm ready to write some more for Fruits Basket! There are a couple other stories some of you might be interested in reading which I've done. One is called **The Storyteller **which is for a film called Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium and another is for another film, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist called **A Summer of Infinite Playlists. **I'm not going to tell you what they're about but I'm only recommending them because they're sort of in the same genre as this story and like I said if you've enjoyed this story so far you might like these two even if you are probably mad at me for not updating sooner on this story let alone having me request for these other two. Anyway here is the long awaited new chapter.

Chapter Fifteen

For **Drink the Bleach**

The university was bigger and older than Rosalie thought it would be. She had seen pictures but it was always a different experience and perspective when you were standing in front of it rather than looking at pictures of it. What she meant by being older than she expected meant that it had preserved the old structures instead of replacing it with a newer design. This was something which surprised Rosalie as the idea of that was more of a European concept.

"Nice place." Erik commented.

Rosalie shook her head and scoffed. "There's no need to be sarcastic you only came here to get away. You could've gone somewhere else let alone another country."

"I wasn't being sarcastic." He protested. "Besides, would you want to let me loose in another country without any supervision?" He asked with a wicked grin.

She rolled her eyes. "I suppose not."

"See? Agreeing with me isn't half as bad or hard as you thought it might be."

Rosalie shook her head but was still smiling. It was a very strange sensation actually agreeing with Erik on something. Everything was beginning to change for her now. Everything she knew and in her life was changing faster than she could try to stop it. In some ways it made her life better than it was before but it also frightened her as well. What would happen if this change brought to some place she didn't recognise? A place where she no longer felt safe in the confines of her previous cage? What then? She didn't know. That was the problem as much as the idea outside the world which knew excited it her it also frightened her as well because there was no way of knowing what to expect.

When she was standing amongst the rest of the new arrivals she felt so suffocated. She wanted to get out but there was no way she was going to get out of the building unnoticed. She broke off from Erik and decided to wander the halls alone. She liked being by herself after being cramped together in a room with so many people in such a small space. As she walked along the halls she felt free and as if she was walking in such an open space. She spun in circles every now and then, craning her neck back to look up at the ceiling. As she wandered she came across a room with the door left open with some inside which caught her eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off it and soon found herself standing before it. She had never seen such a beautiful piano since...She shook the thought from her head and gazed back at it.

She shook her head and hesitantly sat in front of the piano and lifted the cover off the keys. She almost gasped at how beautiful it was as it was on the outside. The keys were a pure white and looked as smooth and heavy as marble. It looked more like a piano which was only meant to be admired and not played. She stroked them delicately before resting her hands on them and deciding that she may take a risk at playing something. She closed her eyes and thought of the keys drifting across the air and bouncing off the walls. This was how she knew which music she was going to play. It was the first one which came to mind because it was always the one which was most suitable for that moment in time.

However at the moment all she could think of was him and _Liebesbotschaft__. _She shook her head in frustration at the choice of word to pass on to Momiji. She knew that was just another spell for disaster. The one thing William warned her against, if he ever found out that was what she said to be passed on to Momiji she knew she would have to suffer the consequences of her actions. She was very right to have to as well. It was the stupidest thing to do because of what could be implied by the use of those words. _Liebesbotschaft _meant 'lover's message'. Of course he was acting like she had something else to tell him. She couldn't stop questioning herself as to why she said that to him. She thought back on that day when she stood before Yuki and tried to think why she decided on that word. On that song. It was a way of saying she had a message for him. Something that she important. Something inside which she wanted him to know and no other. Something she knew he would understand.

She remembered now the look in his eyes was conveying disappointment. She was always confused by that as well. Was he expecting something else? Was there another thing he wanted to hear her say? He spoke of her always wanting to say something aloud but she was always afraid to. He was quite right about that but she still wondered what it was he was actually prodding at because there could be so many things that he could be thinking of which could be completely different to what she was suspecting him of thinking.

She almost stopped playing when a thought occurred to her. Maybe he had feelings for her. She resisted wrapping her arms around herself self-consciously at the thought of someone approaching her like that. The thought of entering into a relationship was something she never considered and thankfully had never crossed her mind until this point. She never brought herself to think of the possibility that someone may like her in that manner because she knew the situation would bring her more grief and hope than she could bare.

She supposed that it came with the fact that she kept others at arms length in order to keep them away from the pain of being with her and carrying her burden with her. It was something which needed to be carried alone, if the world was let in it brought more danger to those who dared to become too close to her. They would be like moths being drawn to a flame. She, of course being the flame. That was the most depressing thing for her. That she had to be the one to be blamed. She wasn't being selfish in wanting the other person to be the blame of the inevitable pain to follow the risk they would take but sometimes after carrying all that guilt became tiresome. No one could be blamed for not wanting to carry that any more.

"_Liebesbotschaft._"

She stood abruptly with her fingers crashing down on the keys. She spun round to find Momiji leaning against the wall. Strands of his corn blonde hair were cast across his eyes which seemed to gaze upon her eyes with such intensity it made her shake.

"You play very beautifully." He said graciously.

She didn't reply. She just wordlessly stared at him until he decided to walk over to her and sat on the stool, pressing his body against hers.

"I want you to know that I do...think about you." He said in a husky voice. "I'm not afraid to care about you and talk to you even if you don't want to talk to other people. I know its not just me but its other people you want to remain distant from."

"Can I ask why?"

He smiled. "You tell me. I can't tell you why you don't want to let people in."

She shook her head. "No. I want to ask why you think and care about me."

After a long silence he answered, "Because I know why you're remaining distant from others. It's because you're scared. You're scared of people knowing your secret but when someone found out about mine. It wasn't so bad. They never thought me as a monster in fact they saw my secret as a gift. Not a curse. I suppose you thought you were ready to share that but then you saw me and you were scared of what was going to happen when someone found out about it. Weren't you?"

"I suppose I was." She replied quietly. "You still haven't answered my question though."

"I am answering it. It's just a very complex reason. Besides there are many questions circling around you. The problem is you think the world as a harsh, judgemental place. To some extent it is but entrapping yourself in a cage isn't going to make the pain you're feeling any easier."

"And why is that?"

"Because pain is better shared. If there's someone holding your hand through the whole ordeal you'll know you can get through anything. It's better to let that pain out so that it can no longer haunt and touch you any more."

She thought on this for a while and something escaped her lips which she never thought she would be able to say aloud to anyone, let alone a cousin she hardly knew.

"Sometimes I'm scared I'll forget her. That's why I want to learn about music and how to play the piano so badly. I want to make sure that there is some way of there a connection between the both of us so that there can be some way I can keep on remembering her somehow."

"I know how you feel." He replied gravely.

She blinked. "I thought your mother was still alive?"

"She is. But after she found out what I was she asked Hatori to make her forget about my existence because she was scared of me. Because of that there was a small part of me that hated myself and what I was but then I decided that I would try to be as happy as possible so that I would never be more sad than otherwise. Like I was determined to hold onto the love I had for her so that there was no chance for me to slip into hating her."

"Why would you want to do that?" She asked in disbelief. "After what she had done to you?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Because she is my mother."

She looked away and shook her head. "How strange." She murmured.

"Why?"

"Because you're being so forgiving."

"Perhaps you need to learn to forgive yourself...For whatever it is that you feel you did wrong."

She shook her head almost as if she was had some mental disorder. No. She could never forgive herself for the things that she had done with the power which she was given. She could never forgive herself for the terrible things which happened to others whom she loved as a result of her existence. There were so many things which she could not be absolved blame from. It was simply impossible. She sat there like a helpless child with her head hung down as if she was in a hopeless situation.

Momiji, without thinking about it, wrapped his arms around her which from the look in her eyes startled her and almost tried to slip out of his grasp until something occurred to her when she looked up into his eyes. In that tiny fraction of a moment she seemed surprised that something didn't happen. Like the world exploding. She reconsidered the situation and sank into the embrace, allowing him to hold her. She still looked a little unsure but it was because this was something she wasn't used to. Momiji could tell that much. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she couldn't remember the last time someone held her in their arms. She rested her head on his shoulder while for the whole time Momiji would always wonder why she was so afraid of him touching her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Sixteen

For **Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**

"There was no need for you to go off like that. I was actually quite worried."

"I needed to be by myself." Rosalie replied dismissively as she and Erik strolled up the path to her Grandmother's house. "I got claustrophobic."

Erik eyed her with suspicion. "You never get claustrophobic. Besides we're living in quite a small house so I know that you're lying."

Rosalie took out her key and opened the door. She didn't answer him. She slipped off her shoes and coat and rushed up the stairs.

"We're not even going to even talk about this?" He called. Rosalie didn't answer which Erik knew he had to take as a no.

Erik sighed and turned around to find William standing right behind him. He cried out in alarm and fell back onto the stairs in a comical manner which only made William sigh with contempt when others would've probably laughed at his clumsy nature.

"I'm guessing by that conversation that Rosalie made a fool of herself."

"Well she didn't make a such scene she just wandered off without telling me." Erik explained after finding his bearings.

"Well if that's the case then I certainly don't have to worry." William said sipping his coffee. "However her recent behaviour has caused some disturbance in the family."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "Really? How so?"

William chuckled. "You really are like a nosy housewife."

"You're not answering my question." Erik replied after deciding to ignore the comment. "Considering that this will eventually affect me I think I deserve to at least know what's going on in that head of yours since you're evidently the one calling the shots."

"I am not the decision maker in all these matters, Erik. Yuri is, as you full well know. I just obediently do as Yuri requests." 13

"You're still not answering my question." Erik fumed.

"Well with her leaving Venice she's intentionally breaking apart the family when Yuri is most strong when all family members are together in the same location. Yuri has allowed this considering that its only three of us. If an increasing amount were beginning to move away then it would be become a great concern. Only for Yuri that is."

"That's not Rosalie's fault though." Erik muttered.

"On the contrary, she's causing a domino effect. When she announced she was going to Japan you followed and then I did. It won't be long until someone else joins us."

After William was finished he noticed Erik who was sitting below him on the stairs was laughing in the manner that he was struggling to control himself.

"You find this amusing, Erik. Please illuminate on me on how there is a funny side to this situation."

There was a funny side to this but not to the situation but what to William just said. Erik knew he was never to jest about these issues and family affairs. He knew better and he knew from the past that when he did so the punishments he received for his behaviour weren't exactly light. But the way William was trying to lay all the blame on Rosalie for them being here and for the possibility that the family may be in danger was comical. Not all of this was caused by Rosalie, in fact it could be argued that the one which everyone feared the most in the family would be more to blame for them being here. What happened to people being free agents? Sure there was a limitation to this belief but never were people's decisions completely compromised by another person, especially in this situation, the decisions made by William and Erik.

"I find it amusing that you're trying to make Rosalie to be the guilty one when she is far from it. You came here because you were ordered by Yuri to come her and watch over us. I came her to get away from a situation which I worsened by myself. None of those reasons had anything to do with Rosalie, William."

William gave him a calculating look once Erik was finished. "Yes well...As, surprisingly, sound your argument is I am simply telling you how Yuri will view the situation. I am also worried about her relationship with that boy, Momiji Sohma."

Erik scoffed. "He's harmless. What are you scared will happen?"

William narrowed his eyes at him. "That perhaps she will become too close with him."

Rosalie's Grandmother listened to the entire exchange with a growing sense of concern. She leaned on the wall with a shaking hand, not just from old age but also from fear for her child. She knew the Laurent family were and still are a secretive and mysterious family. Whenever she saw her daughter after she married Rosalie's father she always felt a sense of her hiding something from her. She knew it was something she was familiar with being the curse but it was almost like it was something much worse. The Sohma's were once like that but the curse which hovered over the family members was long gone and was something which could be lifted, with what she knew about her Granddaughter's situation she knew that there was a sense of finality in her curse. She knew that there was a secret of the same nature the Sohma family was once plagued by but their curse seemed more...darker.

She sighed and knew that she wasn't going to get anything out of William as he would try to use that silvertongue of his to get around her questions as he did with Erik's. She wasn't going to get anywhere with that and she wasn't the type to demand anything out of anyone. He probably believed her to be feeble and simple-minded. Typical man. When people saw her they thought sweet old lady, which was what she was but she wasn't naïve either.

She was brought up in the Sohma family after all. In her many years she had seen many things which he would probably be shocked by. She had to carry out so many awful duties as a Sohma woman in order to keep the family secret safe. It was never an easy life and she was more than glad of the fact that this would never have to be a concern of the next generation. Especially for Rosalie who had more worries than it is with the Laurent's. She could perhaps get something out of Erik as he was a lovely, harmless young man however he also knew that there was an extent to where he could his reckless nature and that was probably drawn at him talking about family affairs.

The only person she was going to be able to talk about this to was Rosalie. Even though she had no interacted her so directly for many years the two still maintained a relationship through letters and she seemed more than willing to confide any problems to her in those letters as well as now. They had had talks over the past couple of weeks about her anxieties about being somewhere new and meeting new people. She crept up the back stairs and made her way to her Granddaughter's bedroom. She slid the door to the side and peered in.

"Rosalie, dear? Are you busy?"

Rosalie looked up with a startled look on her face and gave her a faint smile. "No not at all."

Her Grandmother perched on the edge of her bed resting her hands on her cane. "How are you settling in, dear?"

Rosalie blinked. "I've been fine. Thank you."

Her Grandmother's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Now that's just a polite answer not an honest answer, dear."

"Grandmother have I offended you?"

"Not at all, child. I just want to know if you're alright. I know that there are...things I don't know about the Laurents. I know there are things you are not allowed to talk about with me but I do know there are other things I can talk about with you. Particularly about Momiji Sohma."

The mention of his name made Rosalie's heart stop. She almost fell back against the bed and stared into space. Instead she held her hands and bowed her head as if she was praying. She wasn't exactly praying but she was hoping that a hole which would swallow her would appear or at least she would be able to say something which would be the right thing to say in this situation. She wasn't sure about her feelings about Momiji. She tried to think at the moment when she was asked about it for the words to come to mind which would be most appropriate at the time and also wouldn't give too much away.

When she first met him she thought he was one of the most beautiful people she had ever met. There was also something very calm and comforting in his quiet moments. When he was being serious she was suddenly thrown into feelings of disorientation however it wasn't necessarily a negative sensation. She felt nervous as well as peaceful when she was with him. Even though she was thousands of miles away from this place when she was with him she felt like she was home but then again he also made her realise that the place she was now may in fact be her home after all.

"I don't know how I feel about him." She replied. Better to be honest with your Grandmother than lie to her. You always feel bad about it afterwards. "I feel very far away from him one moment and then the next I feel like he knows me better than anyone else. I'm scared of him when he also makes me feel braver than any other time in my life. I want to be with him when at the same time I want to keep him at arms length. Is this making any sense to you?"

"There's a lot of contradiction in it but to me it sounds like...Well. I don't think you can really understand until you read this."

Her Grandmother reached into her pocket and hands her a piece of yellowed paper as a result of age. Rosalie took it hesitantly and unfolded the piece of paper carefully.

_Dear Yoshiko, _

_I am thinking of you as our comrades and I sleep in the forests of a place I cannot tell you the name of for reasons I am sure you can understand. Its protocol and its the for the safety of you and the army in case this letter is found by the opposition. It is also best for civilians to not know such things as well. I hope you can forgive me for this secrecy, Yoshiko even if we have told each other and showed each other so much of ourselves. I think you know me better than anyone. Or of who I once was. I am afraid that once I come home and once we are together again you meet a completely different person to the person you waved goodbye. I am afraid of war, Yoshiko. I am afraid of how it changes men and I pray that this war will in the sacrifices that we have made will prevent the future generations from suffering from what we do today. I believe this really takes the saying 'We sacrifice our today for your tomorrow'. _

_You used to make my heart feel so light, Yoshiko. When we would walk through the fields of our perfect, quiet little town I would feel that we had floated up to Heaven. Now as I lie here on the hard ground crushed against the soldiers my heart feels like its weighing down on me as I think of you. I dream about the next time I will see you and hold you in my arms. I try to remember the silky touch of your hair and how it looks like a horse galloping when it blows in the wild winds of our home town where I dream that we will grow old together. I dream of many things, Yoshiko. For us. For the future. Our future. However I hope, more than anything, that I will find myself again before you see me again because I am afraid that if you meet the man that I am now that it will break you as much as it has broken me. _

_The fire is still ablaze and the stars are still watching over me as I hope they are still watching over you. Do you remember the last summer I was home? Do you remember that night that we wondered into the woods with your sister, Keiko and her fiancé? Do you remember how we made a fire and we sang songs and told old ghost stories and by the end of the night we were sleeping in each others arms as we tried to name the stars hovering over our heads. I think about that night every night we are apart. I think of that night, of those moments in time most of all because they are not only when I was most happy but also when I knew I was home. _

_However as I sit in front of this fire I feel like I am far from home as I am far from you. The thought of you brings tears to my eyes because it is my gun to you that is cradling in my arms. Instead of naming the stars for romantic purposes we are naming them in order to know where we are in the world. It is so easy to get lost in the woods, even in broad daylight. I feel like your memory and any chance of happiness is slipping away but then I remind myself that wars do not last forever. Times of suffering always pass and I know I will see you again. I know we will be together and that it is not the fight on the battlefield is the one I have to win. It is the conflict battling in my heart is the one where I must rise victorious. Not just for myself but also for you. I know that once I have won this battle I will be with you again. I will rest my head to drift into sleep with you in my arms. I will sleep deeply tonight the best I can. I will dream of you tonight as I always do. _

_Katsu_

When she finished reading Rosalie muttered two words, "_Kriegers Ahnung._"

Yoshiko Sohma leaned forward. "Sorry, child?"

"Warriors Foreboding. It's part of a collection of songs. The contents of this letter sounded very much like it." She looked back at the letter and frowned. "Speaking of which why did you show me this?"

"Well do you not see the conflict when one feels a certain emotion?"

Rosalie's eyes widened when she finally realised what her Grandmother was getting at. "Oh no. It's nothing to do with that."

Her Grandmother raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well..."

Her Grandmother took the letter from her and put it back in her pocket. "I carry that round with me...or that particular letter because even though I didn't understand his emotions when I first read the letter but ever since my husband died I now know how it feels to be alone with those intense feelings of love for another person."

"It must be hard...to be apart from Grandfather."

Her Grandmother nodded. "It has become hard but I have to carry on as my Katsu did. He fought his battles and now I have been called to fight mine. Like you have done also."

Rosalie gave her a hesitant look. "What if I'm not strong enough to fight that battle?"

Yoshiko Sohma reached out to stroke her Granddaughter's face. "Child, you're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know it took great courage to come here but you came nevertheless."

"I didn't want to be trapped any more. I wanted to be free but I don't even feel I have the courage to even do that."

"Tearing yourself away from the life you once had is hard. Giving up what we didn't realise was more comfortable than we realised is difficult. But you're trying, which is a lot more than most people achieve."

Rosalie smirked. "I think you're glorifying me a bit too much, Grandmother."

The older woman chuckled. "I think you're just a little too modest."

"Usually people are more praiseworthy with that trait."

"Not at this moment in time, darling."

Rosalie giggled and wrapped an arm around her Grandmother. As a child she would be the one to rest her head on her shoulder but this time it was her Grandmother who did this. She was much weaker than she once was. This was also the moment when Rosalie realised how old she was now. She was much frailer than she remembered her being and it frightened her.

"You're going to be alright? Aren't you?"

Yoshiko Sohma sensed the fear in her voice and patted her arm. "It's just the delights of growing old, darling."

"I don't want you to grow old." She mumbled. "I just want you to stay."

"I can't stay forever, dearest. Can I?"

"I just don't want to have to say goodbye to you so soon."

Yoshiko Sohma's smile faltered slightly knowing the unspoken sadness of her parents death hung in the air.

"I know that you miss them dearly but I hope you are still not in mourning of them. Of your mother at least. I know it has been less than a year since your father died but I hope- I hope you can use this as an opportunity to make you feel stronger than feel weaker."

"I try." She assured her in the quietest of whispers.

"Try harder."

She got to her feet and walked out the room leaving her Granddaughter to think on so many things. To think about her mother and father. To think about the future. To think about the letter her Grandfather wrote in the midst of the war. To think about the possibility that perhaps she could have feelings for Momiji Sohma.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Seventeen

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_Cignoni non sine causa Apoloni dicati sint, quod ab eo divinationem habere videantur, qua providentes quid in morte boni sit, cum cantu et voluptate moriantur._

_The swan is not without cause dedicated to Apollo because, foreseeing his happiness in death, he dies with singing and pleasure._

_**~ Cicero, Tusculanarum Disputationum. I. 30.**_

~ (***) ~

The next morning Rosalie was dragged out of bed to go to the market with Erik only to find out that they would be accompanying Yuki Sohma. The word hung above her head like a death sentence. He knew. He knew better than Momiji Sohma that she was hiding something. Momiji she had a secret however Yuki knew what that secret was. If there was another presence that she was more disconcerted by than Momiji Sohma it was this boy. It was like he was a mirror image of her whenever she looked into his eyes. They had the same violet eyes. They had faced the same trials and tribulations. He knew her fear. The way he looked at her told her that he could see through the mask she was hiding behind. He knew what it was she was trying to hide from everyone else, but he wasn't fooled.

"Good morning, Miss Rosalie. How are you?"

"I'm very well. Thank you." She replied, trying not to stuttered or stumble over her words.

"I was hoping that we could go out to do something together. I just thought it would be a good way for us to get to know one another without being in a situation that isn't too formal. Like the dinner we had on the night you arrived."

Rosalie blinked and stepped back. "Well...I'm...Well that's very kind of you, Mr Sohma. I'm sorry that I haven't been in touch with you and if I had known I would have definitely planned something sooner. However as you can imagine I've been quite busy settling."

"I understand completely. I lived in the main house for most of my life and then after moving to somewhere not to far from there I took much longer to settle in. I can only imagine what its like moving to a completely different continent."

Rosalie couldn't think of a reply to this. Only because she didn't know whether he was trying to coax her into something, whether he was being sly or even possibly sincere. Momiji was a very easy person to read however Yuki was far from it.

"Its ridiculous."

She blinked at him. "What is?"

"That I call you 'Miss Rosalie' and you call me 'Mr Sohma'. We're cousins. We shouldn't be so formal. Call me Yuki and I'll call you Rosalie. Deal?"

She nodded. "Very well. Yuki."

"Very well."

She slipped on her shoes and coat before stepping out into the cold Spring morning and let out a great sigh. Yuki Sohma looked over his shoulder at the young woman wondering what was going on in that head of hers. She was being very polite but he knew there was something else that she wanted to say to him. There was always something else people wanted to say to Yuki Sohma. When his brother and Kyo never held back on such things other people were too nervous to admit to the things they wanted to say to him.

It was so cold she could see her breath appear before her as if she was blowing out smoke. She looked at the world around her and felt like winter was slowly fading away but it was still lingering. It reminded her of the old feelings she once had replacing the growing feelings she never felt before or ones she hadn't felt in a long time creep up on her. Those feelings that once consumed her still lingered but they were no longer dominating over her life any longer. She could hear the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves and flowers in the trees. She could hear the voices of spring telling her that something was coming. Something was arriving whether she liked it or not. Her life was changing. She took in a deep breath where at the same a smile spread across her face as she took in the sweet, harmonious smells of spring. It was like her mother was welcoming her home with open arms. The feeling made her feel like her heart was rising out of her chest. She never thought that she could hope like this. She never thought that the world would be able to offer her this much.

"Are we going then?" Erik asked in a dramatic voice.

"Yes." She replied tiredly. "Come on."

Erik marched in front of Yuki and Rosalie but glanced over his shoulder mischievously to check that the two were conversing with one another. This was all his plan of course. He called up Yuki Sohma the previous evening and asked if he was doing anything. Yuki explained his girlfriend was busy and he didn't start college yet but he had to go to the food market for some ingredients Machi needed. Yuki never made the food but he was perfectly capable of buying food.

Erik was quite proud of himself. Rosalie didn't refuse to walk out the door or go all introverted on him. He loved Rosa but she really needed to start communicating with these cousins of hers. They were perfectly nice people and were probably what she needed in her life. He didn't have any save the Laurent family members so the fact that she wasn't taking the chance at having a better relationship with her other family would be considered a bit of a slap in the face for him let alone for many other people in their family. He could see that Yuki was genuinely interested in what Rosalie was saying who was growing increasingly confident in talking with this beautiful boy as the conversation progressed.

"There is something I've always noticed, Rosalie. You always seem like the sort of person to keep their distance from others. Do you know why that might be?"

Before Rosalie would've frozen and gone all speechless. However as she had heard this question being asked of her so many times she was used to it. But she wasn't going to let him in that easily.

"Curiosity killed the cat." She warned in jest.

"Satisfaction brought it back." He returned making her smile. For that she was going to give him a small truth.

"I suppose its because I've always felt like an outsider. Even in my own family."

"Surely you don't amongst our family?"

"Both the Sohma's and the Laurent's." She replied regretfully.

As they walked along a stream Rosalie wondered where it went. She wanted to know its name. Whether there was a story behind it. She wanted to know the towns or villages it went through. She wanted to know whether there was a river spirit which guarded it if such things existed. She imagined herself in the summer having a picnic beside it with faceless friends she was yet to meet. She then saw herself walking along the river without stopping, following it wherever it led. Even if it went across the country all she saw was herself continually walking even if it took her to the ocean. Then she would step into the water and swim with it to see where the current would take her. Instead of the wide ocean, a place where she would have no security or control she felt a sense of peace floating in the middle of it.

"Ah Kimi and Kakeru." Yuki muttered. Rosalie couldn't tell whether this tone of voice was conveying annoyance or expectancy.

She followed his gaze and saw two dark haired teenagers waving at Yuki. They seemed pretty similar in size, features and almost thought they were siblings or even twins. She turned to Yuki was a question mark on her forehead.

"They're old school friends. Kakeru, Kimi this is my cousin, Rosalie."

The boy stretched out his hand and shook hers. "Nice to meet ya. You should've told me your cousin was cute, Yuki. Shame on you."

"I didn't really feel the need Kakeru considering that you have a girlfriend. One that you don't deserve I might add."

"Ah don't be mean to your future in law." He chided.

"Future in law?" Rosalie asked.

"Kakeru is Machi's half brother." Yuki explained.

Rosalie tried to hide her shock but she found this considerably hard. It wasn't often to came across odd pairings when it came to siblings. She was always able to find some similarity between two completely different siblings however she knew it was going to be hard when it came to Kakeru and Machi. She actually began to wonder whether Yuki was lying to her. She recalled Machi quite well and she knew that she would never have put Kakeru and Machi together. Machi was quiet as Kakeru was loud. She was sensible as he was ridiculous (a trait which made him another instant friend of Erik's). The list went on. She was beginning to lose her faith in genetics because of this anomaly.

She later discovered his girlfriend was a great lover of meat resulting in him giving her a distasteful nickname which would've earned him a knock around the head if she knew him better. She knew she had quite an unconventional way of treating her cousin but she at least knew that you weren't allowed to do it to someone you just met. She could tell he was going to become Erik's replacement for position of her personal punching bag. Perhaps that could be her nickname for him...

"Rosalie?"

"Mm."

"You have quite a dark look on your face may I ask what it is you're thinking about?" Yuki asked as he looked through the fruit stand.

"I was thinking of using your future in law as my future punching bag." She replied dryly.

There was a long silence and she was beginning to wonder if what she had said was a bit too honest until she heard the soft sound of Yuki chuckling.

"Oh please. Be my guest."

"I'm sensing some contempt towards him."

Yuki sighed. "I do like him however he can be quite tiring sometimes."

"You must love her a lot to be willing to put up with him as an in law. I can't imagine him being the sort of brother in law who you see only once every five years." She replied.

He smiled and nodded his head. "I love her very much. Anyway, if he becomes too much Machi certainly won't raise any objections."

"What you guys talking about?" Kakeru asked as he sneaked up on them.

"I don't think you'll want to know." Yuki laughed as he moved onto the next aisle.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Eighteen

For **xcresentxmoonx**

The morning sun greeted Momiji Sohma, Rosalie Laurent and Satomi Hashimoto as they all woke at the same time. It beckoned them like a playful child calling their parent when it was time to go to the park. They would all stretch their arms and give out a roar of a yawn before turning to the golden light shining through the curtains as they rubbed their eyes. It felt like like they were being reborn or entering into the world for the first time despite the fact they had the hindsight of too many experiences which made them feel far from being innocent as a newborn child.

Rosalie could almost hear its gentle, silent voice telling it was time for her to go out into the world. Whether this was just for this moment in time or for herself to release herself from the chains of her family which tied her down from her eventual freedom, she wasn't entirely sure. She had a feeling that it might be the latter however she couldn't be sure. She wasn't as certain about things in this world as she once was.

Maybe it was her sheltered upbringing which she had been secured under up to this point. Perhaps it was the unusually warm welcome she had received when she arrived in Japan. She wasn't entirely sure what was the main reason for her feeling this way. She felt a little concerted by the conversation she had with Yuki Sohma.

She was beginning to feel herself warm towards the allusive cousin but still was unsure as to whether she could trust him. Their conversation was very casual as it was serious. The balance and the lack of left her in a position where she was uncertain of whether she could trust her own intuition.

~ (***) ~

Momiji blinked and rolled out of bed as he pulled on some clothes. It was his first day and he decided he was going to make a first good impression but he wasn't going to go too overboard of the neatness of his clothing. His hair was as usual rather messy however he was beginning to grow into it and most mornings he left it as it was and most women seemed to quite like it. Also it was the perfect look for a university undergraduate. Since it seemed to be the fashionable as well as the socially acceptable look to have, since everyone knew that everyone else in the lecture room had just literally rolled out of bed.

He thought back on the enrolment day at the university when he saw Rosalie play the piano for the first time. He could remember the room which he found her in was shrouded in darkness like her soul. She wanted to keep it in the shadows so that no one could ever find it. However he realised the only way to find the true her was to listen. There was a music which played to her soul. She once said that she associated people with a particular song. There was a song to her soul he just had to find which one it was.

He entered the room so quietly the amount time he watched her play until he said something seemed to go on for an eternity. He was actually quite disappointed in himself for interrupting her so soon. The way her fingers moved across the keys was like watching dolphins gracefully yet swiftly dive in and out of the water. Her movements had a rhythm as well as fluidity to it. She could feel as well as hear the music. It was almost like it was a part of her soul. When he saw her play he almost swore that he saw her mother again all those years ago. She was suddenly transformed into the woman which connected her to the Sohma family making him realise she was more closely related to their family than the one whose name she carried.

He couldn't wait for her to hear him play the violin. He wanted to show her that he could be a part of her world as much as she was a part of his. He also wanted her to realise that there was a world which they both already shared. Now that he had seen her secrets it only felt natural that he should share his with her. The world of music was always one which would always be a world of secrecy. It was one where if you had a aptitude for music only you could understand and enter into this world. Outsiders could never enter it. It was like a snow globe in a way. Outsiders could see inside it, but Momiji and Rosalie were already inside this world and could truly understand what it was like to be a part of it.

After finishing getting dressed her opened the curtains to let the sky it. It was so blue today it was almost purple. The day was going to be beautiful. Of course you shouldn't take the beginning of the day as a sign as to how the rest of the day was going to turn out but Momiji Sohma couldn't help but feel a sense of hope rise in his chest. He had to believe in hope. He could only hope that things could only get better because otherwise you would continue to fall as once you reached the bottom where you could fall no further it would take a long time to reach the top again. Hope was the only thing people could hang onto in order to achieve happiness.

He could see that was happening for Rosalie. He could see in her violet eyes that she was was beginning to believe in hope but there was still a sense of doubt towards it. She had spent such a long time falling but she was beginning to stop. Things were beginning to get better. She was starting to hold onto the edge and climb herself back up. She was at a standstill and she didn't know whether there was any point. What Momiji had to do was to show her that there was a good reason to keep going. That there was a reason for her to live.

~ (***) ~

Satomi Hashimoto hated getting up in the morning. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear for most people it would make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. However this was something which would only kick in until lunch time. She was never an early bird and she doubted she ever would be. However this was something she had to overcome if she was going to be a music teacher. Last she checked music teachers didn't get up at midday. It was more like five o'clock in the morning. If she was ever going to be able to achieve what she wanted she would have to put her back into it a little.

Her mother, Natsuko Hashimoto was a teacher. As a child she idolised her mother and knew from a young age she wanted to be just like her mother. Then her second love came along when she was eight years old. A teacher who taught her and her class music once a week made her feel so passionate to something so new it transformed her dream into something completely new: a music teacher. Not a high hope in comparison to others but it was hers. That was something her mother told her and repeated to herself over and over whenever she felt ashamed of her dream when she spoke to others about it. She wandered into the shared kitchen in her accommodation and made herself some cereal. As she chewed on the milky, slushy food she wondered what she should be expecting from her first day.

After finishing she put on her coat and went out the door passing her roomate, Nori. He was just coming out of his room, his spiky hair was pointing in various directions and still had his pyjamas on. He was doing English and would probably be coming back when she finished her lectures for the day. She hated him for this but the rest of the time she loved him. He had such a lively, cutsy personality he reminded her of a little puppy she had when she was little. However, as all puppies grew up and now it was an old, fat, lazy dog which couldn't be bothered to do anything.

As she walked out into the spring air she felt a sense of renewal. Spring was associated with new beginnings which made it all the more appropriate to have new years and new school years to begin during this season. She looked out beyond the boundaries of the university and saw forests which encircled the university campus crowned with leaves like a Roman emperor and jade hills. Some people would associate this feeling with feeling safe and secure. She supposed this was right. In it's own way. She felt more protected than secure. She didn't want to be tied back or caged in some way. Even though her family lived here she wanted a place of her own so she didn't have to feel like a child any more. She was an adult as all young adults her age they wanted independence and she knew the first step towards that would be to move out. Of course there were other reasons. Her family, after they found out her secret, didn't marginalise or throw her out for it. However they did feel like they could no longer see her the same way as they did before.

She was about to walk towards the building when she caught sight of someone walking towards the same lecture building. Snow white blossoms were blowing in her direction and were caught in her ink black hair but she didn't seem to notice the white blossoms spring decided to crown her with since she didn't brush them away. She was wearing a lacy, white dress which was above her knees, wearing converse and a denim jacket thrown over her shoulders. The white dress and the graceful movements almost made her look like she was a bride. Satomi had never felt this way before. She knew she had loved others before but she always knew them. They were never strangers from across the campus.

She shook her head and headed towards the building since that was where her lecture was as well. She opened the door and walked towards the lecture theatre finding the same girl she saw walking into the building standing outside the lecture theatre. Satomi blinked at the girl who was oblivious to her presence and hurriedly dug her hand into her pocket to check that she had found the right room. She found it quite unbelievable that this girl would also be having the same classes as her. After confirming that she had found the right room she gulped. Was she going to talk to this girl? What would she say to her without sounding stupid?

"Hey."

She seemed to have startled the girl as she jumped and clung onto her bag after she saw who it was who spoke.

"Oh-um-Hi." She replied awkwardly.

Satomi nodded towards the lecture room. "I'm guessing you're waiting for this class. I was hoping I would find someone to talk to before I went in who was doing the same thing as me."

"Oh. Right." The girl said finally understanding why Satomi was talking to her. She looked around as if to wonder if anyone else was going to come in suddenly. "I actually know someone else who's doing this class. He's...sort of related to me."

"Oh right."

"Sort of a cousin but not like a first cousin. It's very complicated."

Satomi shrugged her shoulders. "Family always is. I'm Satomi Hashimoto by the way." She said stretching out her hand. The girl seemed to hesitate and slowly and cautiously took her hand and shook it quickly then slipped her hand out of Satomi's quickly. "Rosalie Laurent."

"That sounds very French."

"That's because it is. My dad was French and my mother was Japanese." She explained.

"That would explain why looked oriental but had a French name. Half and half. Sorry, I was just presuming your family were one of those weird types who gave names to their children which didn't prescribe to their nationality."

Rosalie smiled not politely but in amusement. She knew very well that both her families were beyond the norm in comparison to anyone else's. Most people may take this as an insult but this girls seemed a little too good natured to do something like that. She also knew how people could be alarmed if they were put under the impression that they had offended someone upon that matter. Satomi was half afraid that she had offended her until she heard Rosalie begin to chuckle. Perhaps she hadn't.

_Rosalie_. It was a very pretty name. She wondered whether there was a Japanese middle name or name she went by which acknowledge the other half of her heritage as well as the other.

People soon began to flood into the room waiting for the lecture to start. She soon lost Rosalie in the crowd as one would be lost in the current and looked around to see where she was. Then she thought that when people met others on the first day didn't necessarily makes you their best friends for the rest of their time there.

She banged her head against the wall as she leaned against it and looked forlornly out at the door waiting for it to open. Some people came up to her to talk to her about where she came to, which school she was at, where her accommodation was. The usual small talk you had with your fellow students within the first few weeks. She seemed to be having a more in depth conversation with Rosalie when she thought about it. She definitely had something there.

When she sat in the lecture theatre as the professor made his introduction all she could think about was Rosalie. She didn't catch a word of what the man at the front said. Her eyes were always scanning every now and then to see where she was sitting.

She caught sight of her with a blonde haired boy who had his eyes locked on the front with rapt attention. He had bright brown eyes which reminded her of chocolate buttons. She noticed Rosalie was glancing at him every now and then while making her own notes. She presumed that this was the cousin Rosalie was talking about. He was equally as beautiful as Rosalie was but didn't make her heart pound like she did. He was the wrong gender for her anyway.

After the lecture was finished she slid out as quickly as she could so that she could intercept the two cousins. She waved at Rosalie who caught her eye.

"Hey. How did you like the lecture?"

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "I was hoping he would be more...engaging."

The cousin blinked. "I was very interested in what he had to say."

Rosalie smirked. "You would be Momiji." She glanced at Satomi and her eyes widened slightly.

"Oh Momiji this is Satomi Hashimoto. This is my cousin."

Satomi shook his hand but all she could think about was, _She remembered my name. She remembered my name!_

"It's lovely to meet you." She greeted politely.

Momiji nodded to her and their eyes drifted back to where Rosalie was to find that she was gone. They both looked around and found she was no where in sight. She sighed.

"She's like that." Momiji said apologetically. "She's a bit...distant from others. She's just getting used to being social."

"Really? She seemed rather friendly when I was talking to her earlier."

He tilted his head to the side and considered this. "Well like I said...she's just getting use to it."

A lot of people would be weirded out by this or would be offended by Rosalie's behaviour. However Satomi was more intrigued. She wondered what made her such a reclusive person. Was it something which happened in her childhood? Was it perhaps her upbringing? She had no idea what it could be and it probably wasn't her place for her to question it. However she couldn't help but wonder about it. She couldn't help but be intrigued by the shy, mysterious Rosalie Laurent. Even her name was shrouded in mystery. How did her parents meet? How could people from two completely different worlds come together? It was that moment when she knew. She knew then that her heart would always pound for her. She knew she would always be thinking of her for many weeks after this. Her heart was beginning to hurt. Her chest felt like it was swelling. Her heart was on fire.

"Listen. It was lovely to meet you but I better go find her. Don't worry, I'll make sure you two see each other again." He chuckled.

As he walked away her eyes followed him with her heart swelling in her chest. She looked away and she dwelt on her own thoughts which was dominated by Rosalie Laurent. A name which rolled off her tongue. She felt as if he was her guardian angel. The one that would bring her closer to Rosalie. She knew something was beginning to grow inside Satomi. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt that one day she was going to love Rosalie Laurent.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Nineteen

For **skycloud94**

That evening in the Sohma household Momiji took up his violin and played the one song which he knew could only convey what he was feeling that evening. The feelings which he had were completely dominated by Rosalie so he could only play something which reminded him of her. Yet he still had not found her song. Rosalie had seemed to have an obsession for Schuberts 'Swan Song's' and as he stood under the full moon which he hoped she was looking up at he knew there was only one song in that collection which seemed suitable for the moment in time. _Ständchen_. He loved to speak his native tongue. He even enjoyed thinking or dreaming in it. Whenever he dreamt of Rosalie Laurent it was in German.

After tucking the instrument under his chin he began to play. He began to play like it was the last song he would ever play and this would be a testament to the emotions he felt at the time as well as the one which was a true portrayal of his life. Going back and forth allowing his arm to swing gracefully with the music. That was why he knew that music was his life because it was a part of his soul. It was how he knew music was in Rosalie's soul. He was part of the music as well as being the one to play and create it. He thought as he played the music of the poem which came with the song. He knew entirely what the sing felt when he played this song. Yet this was not her song. It was nowhere close to being Rosalie's song. Under the moonlight he hoped that under the same sky Momijij could call out to Rosalie with his music. He hoped that one day he would simply touch the strings for a matter of seconds and she would know it was him and he would be able to beckon her to him.

~ (***) ~

Rosalie sat there listening to the rustle of the leaves as she was laid out on her bed. She had all her books splayed out across the room and her bed but she was unable to find the concentration to read. She listened to the sound of the night and swore she heard something which wasn't supposed to be looming in the darkness but nevertheless was there. There was the wind, the silent, the rustling and then...something else. She ceased her forehead as she strained her ears to find the sound. It was like something was calling out her but the voice was so weak and fragile that it was able to travel through the bitter cold winds of the night to her.

There was a knock on her door which made her sit up and completely forget about the sound and found Erik poking his head around the door.

"You have visitors." He sang.

"Who?" She demanded in an emotionless tone.

"Your cousins." He answered.

She frowned. "Which ones? You'll have to be more specific than that."

"He meant us." Said a familiar voice. She walked towards the door and opened it completely to find Haru and Rin Sohma standing in the doorway.

"Where's Izumi?"

"She's back at the main house. We just wanted to come to see if you were doing alright. Momiji mentioned today was your first day at university."

"Oh yeah. Right. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Please come in." She offered them a seat being the one at her desk and the other being her bed. Rin took the seat when everyone else sat on her bed.

"So how have things been with you?" Rosalie asked conversationally.

"Well we've been house hunting for places around the coast. There are a couple places which we might buy which are in good places, are in good proximity to a nursery, in our price range etc. It's

the joys of being an adult I suppose." Haru said grinning.

"You sound pretty busy." Rosalie commented wondering whether she should really feel so bad for not being in touch.

"Well I think I shall leave you all if we're going to talk about houses, finances and all those...urgh." Erik shivered and walked out the room.

Rosalie smirked. "Please excuse my cousin. He doesn't have a serious bone in his body."

"And he's all the better for it. It's a terrible thing to begin being all serious about things. We've had enough seriousness in our life. Haven't we?" He turned to Rin and gave her an affectionate look.

Rin smiled back. "You've got that right. Then...You can't really forget..."

"Anyway we were here to talk about you." Haru interrupted. "So...How have you been settling in?"

Rosalie was about to begin but then closed her mouth and laughed a little uneasily, unsure as to where she should start...

~ (***) ~

"So who is she?"

Satomi looked up distractedly and blinked. "Sorry?"

Nori gave her a knowing look and put the mug down as he joined her at the table in the kitchen. "I think we both know that you met someone today. I may have only known you a few weeks but I can tell these things."

She hesitated and put the book down. "I don't even know her. I know her name but I don't know _her._"

"So you haven't spoken to her?"

"I have but I don't feel like I know her."

"Oh honey, trust me. A lot of people have had bed friends for the night and have done less than that so don't go beating yourself up on that account."

She smiled. "Are you one of those people?" She joked.

Nori pretended to be shocked. "Excuse me but I am in a stable and committed relationship with a...slightly older man living in the city. So you have no right to be interrogating me."

Satomi held her hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. So...What's his name?"

"Yoshi." He answered. "He's ten years older than me and he is a graphic designer. You want his address?"

She laughed. "No. That's okay. I was just wondering. Like you were just wondering."

"That's okay. Curiosity is the a part of the human condition. So...What's her name?"

"Rosalie Laurent."

"Ooooh gorgeous name. Is she doing the same course as you?"

Satomi nodded. "And she is very...interesting."

Nori scoffed. "I thought you were going to be romantic and say she was very beautiful. Honestly Satomi."

Satomi shrugged. "Well...that's the thing which stands out the most about her. The fact that she's interesting is what makes her beautiful."

"Oh my God. You are in love with this girl. Oh boy." He sighed.

Satomi sat there with a faint smile on her face and found that she didn't care. She didn't care that she was falling down the pit of being hopelessly in love. As she listened to the nightingale or some bird that was singing outside in the Spring night she didn't care that it was just making her feel even more hopelessly in love. She didn't mind if it was unrequited love. She was just going to enjoy it for now. People fell in and out of love when they were young. The best thing she could do now was just live in the moment and not have a care in the world. That was the art of being young and alive.

~ (***) ~

It was when Haru left the room for a moment when Rin decided to speak. She glided over to the bed and sat beside her.

"I know."

Rosalie looked up and tried to hide any sign of fear or shock. "You know what?"

"We all know. We all know that you are hiding something. I just want to tell you that you shouldn't suffer in silence okay? There have been many terrible things which happened in the Sohma family. Things which I am beginning to let go of. But it has taken me three years since it all ended to get to that first step. I think the problem with me was that I didn't express my feelings as much as the others."

Rosalie blinked. "Rin what are you talking about?"

"The Sohma's were once cursed until it was was lifted three years ago. Once Tohru Honda entered our lives and broke the curse we were free. But that's not important any more. The important thing is about the now. Now I need to warn you of the mistakes of the past. Please. I'm begging you don't repeat my mistakes."

"Rin-"

"Hey. How you guys doing?" Haru had come back into the room and she knew from the expression on Rin's face that the conversation was either ended or would be continued on further notice.

"We're find. We were just talking."

"About what?"

"Just family history."

~ (***) ~

Momiji finished the song with a feeling of dread and disappointment weighing down on his chest. This was not how he wanted the night to end. He wanted something more. There was something which was missing. A part of him wished that when he had finished the song she would be standing there in the doorway watching him as he played. Or at least interrupted him as he did the other day. What would happen between the two seemed to blur out. He didn't know what the next chapter was. However he couldn't think of a future without her. Someone he hardly knew but he knew he wanted her in his future. He wanted to share his destiny with her whatever that may be.

He stood there silently. Trembling at the bitter night wind even though he was safely inside the house from it but somehow it seemed to manage to sneak in and draw him into its tight embrace. Or was it something else? He waited for her to come in case she was late. He smirked at the idea of her being late as if being late for the opera or for some recital. and waited a little longer. She did not come even though he wanted it so badly. He felt like his heart was singing out as loudly as it could hoping that she could hear him. He could feel his heart singing out to hers. He wanted to hold her close to him as he did in the music room once again. No for all eternity. Forever entwined within one another.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/N: **I just thought I would just make a note to explain this chapter. Basically, as you may know by now, that my story is actually based on the concept of Swan Songs. It's not just going to be based on Schubert's 'Swan Songs' its going to go across the whole media of Swan Songs but since we're still with Schubert's 'Swan Songs' I'm going to go in order of how they were composed and I've now reached_Aufenthalt _which can be translated into 'Dwelling'. As I read the song which came with it and also looking at the plot which I had constructed for Rosalie's story line didn't really fit so I decided to go for another idea which I had in mind.

Even though this is a story based solely on the romantic love story between Momiji and Rosalie I did plan to bring the rest of the Fruits Basket characters into the story since I can appreciate that their story still needs to be told in some way but just not in as much detail since they're more supporting characters now unless something in the plot line changes along the way. So I suppose this is the first chapter which is going to show a snapshot of what is going on with the rest of the characters which is going to be Rin and Haru as I felt they would be the characters where it would be most appropriate with this particular song and also since they had made an appearance in the latest chapter it worked out quite nicely since it didn't seem so static to just jump to some random Fruits Basket character which hadn't been mentioned for some time now. So anyway that's my introduction and I will shut up now with this authors commentary and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Twenty

For **PeaceLightVictory **

Rin and Haru drove towards the last property for them to look at on the coast. The rain was pouring down from the heavens which didn't give either of them any sense of optimism that they were going to find any luck that day. Haru gripped onto the steering wheel with one hand and pushed the gear with almost too much force as the car swerved around the corner through the forest. There seemed to be an air of mystery surrounding the forest, it was dark but maybe that was only because it wanted to protect itself from the wrong kind of people. He turned back to Rin who was trying to hide the growing anxiety inside her. They were told it was a good price for their situation and the jobs that they had but this could just be the salesmen pitching to them.

They had discovered over the past few weeks that they could say one thing about a place but for it to turn out to be something completely different. They had inherited enough from the Sohma fortune but they only really wanted to use that as a back-up and for Izumi's future and whatever children who may follow after. On the long term it was the worst idea to spend it all on their first property. They had to think about what would follow after in the coming years as Izumi got older. They both drove in silence as they both knew that this may be their last chance to find the house they were looking for. They gave Rosalie an optimistic review of their efforts however there still seemed to be something missing in the places which they could take. They ticked all the boxes except for one. It didn't feel like home. Their home. They were wonderful places. They were close to all the places they needed to be but there was still something that didn't feel right when they walked through the door.

Haru finally found the address which was a little house by a stream coming out of the forest and into the sea which was a few yards away from where the back garden ended. It didn't make a huge wooshing sound like people were constantly kept from going to sleep as a result of living near a main road. It was more gentle and quiet. The wind which seemed to dance around the trees howled through the hills and flew around Haru and Rin. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly and hoped it wasn't always going to be this cold while they were living here.

Of course it was always more colder living on the coast than it was in the city but she always thought on those summer days by the beach where the sun was shining that it wouldn't be so bad. However the most prominent feature of this place was that it was quiet. Something which Rin needed. She needed the quiet. She stepped out the car and closed the door behind her gently since she was scared of breaking the peaceful quietness of their surroundings. She reached out to take Haru's hand who smiled affectionately as they walked towards the door. There was a note on the door which read:

_Sorry, I was unable to make it in order to show you around the house however I have left it open for you to take a little look around yourselves. Please get in touch with me after you've made up your minds about it_

_Miss Sakamoto_

Haru frowned at the note thinking that this was very trusting of her to leave this message as a passerby could take this as a chance to ransack some house and they would be able to get away with it. The woman could even lose her job as a result of being lazy and incompetent. Haru looked around and thought that perhaps she seemed so trusting was because it was such a nice area. In his mind it didn't seem like the hot bed for vandalism or misconduct. He scrunched up the the note and opened the door to find a bin to throw it into.

Rin followed him and her eyes scanned the house. It was older than the others they had looked at. There were wooden floorboards and it seemed more open than the others even though on the outside it seemed more like a small, coastline house. She wandered into the kitchen and it had a real homely feeling to it. She smiled and thought it was more like Tohru. She went up the stairs and it seemed rather basic but malleable to any sort of design or re-decorating. She suddenly thought of Kyo and Yuki who had changed so much since the arrival of Tohru and had now gone in completely different directions. When she arrived in the bathroom is was probably the most extravagant room in the house with the walls painted violet and having a modern design to the facilities. Ayame and Shigure came to mind.

She came back down the stairs carefully as they seemed to creak with every step which she took and almost felt like Kagura or Ritsu who could break out into a panic at any second. She went into what would be the main room which was encircled the side which faced the back of the house with huge open windows where she could look out to see the waves crashing against the shore. She imagined there being a piano in the corner as this room was filled with so much music and imagined so much life in it. It felt like a Momiji room. The dining room seemed to be very dignified, one which Hiro would approve of. However she wondered back into the main room and saw the garden it was dead. There was either weeds or nothing however she could see a glimmer of hope for it to be sweet and beautiful like little Kisa and no longer be the dark, dead person Akito once was.

It was that moment as she looked out onto the waves and looked down into the garden when she knew. She knew she could finally let go. She knew that with all that pain and darkness she had to endure since childhood and with all things she said to Rosalie the night before she could finally let it go like everyone else had done three years ago. She had been angry at them for so long for not hanging onto that hatred as she had done but then she realised that there was no point any more. There was no need to feel that hatred because she was free now. She was free to do as she wished. To love as she wished. She felt like a child again. She felt like she was finally able to love the same way she was able to before. When her child was born she felt so distanced for her. She was afraid that she would treat her the same way her parents had treated her. To have loved her so fiercely for so long and then at the mention of such a few words or of an observation they dropped that loved and adopted a form of hatred towards her.

Haru stood behind her as he heard her cry. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"It's going to be okay." He murmured.

"I know." She sobbed. Her tears were streaming down her cheeks now and her eyes were stinging with sorrow. "It's just so...just so hard...to let it go."

Haru ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her on her cheek then on her neck. "I know. It's easier to hate a person rather than to forgive them...but I guess it's necessary."

"What for?" She asked desperately.

"For us to go forward. If you continue to hate someone it means your tied to the past. In order to move forward you've got to let go of that hatred and forgive and forget."

She touched Haru's hand which was resting on her chest and stroked his fingers. "I never realised it would be so quick though. I thought it would be a gradual thing. Its just recently when I've been able to consider the idea but I never thought I would be able to empty myself of it all so easily and so swiftly."

"Things like that can come up on your unexpectedly. I suppose that's just life."

Rin shut her eyes tight and nodded stiffly. Haru chuckled and nestled his chin in her neck. "Cheer up, like I said everything's going to be okay."

As she closed her eyes she listened to the sound of the waves rolling onto the sands. The wind blowing through the leaves and the gentle rhythm of the trees swaying from side to side. She felt her heartbeat slowly and steadily as she stood still and quietly listening to the rest of the world encircle her. She didn't feel suffocated, it felt more like she was being brought into the warm, comforting embrace which could only be obtained by trust. She knew that this was going to lead to something else. To a life she never expected. She knew she could never forget the pain which was inflicted on her there was no doubting that but she knew that she could at least forgive Akito for it. She knew that the next time she would see her she would no longer cast her eyes to the ground in some act of defiance and ignore. She would look up and smile. She would say no words to convey her forgiveness. She would only give her a look because she knew that would be enough.

"So what do you think of the place?"

She smiled and looked and took one more look and smiled. "What do you think I think of the place?"

"I think we're home."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twenty One

For **xcresentxmoonx**

Rosalie was humming _In der Ferne_ while she was sitting the cafeteria. She liked to hum things to herself when she was bored or when she was waiting for something. At the airport she found herself humming some Beethoven to herself only to stop when Erik was giving her a funny look, William on the other hand turned to her and asked whether she was humming the song he thought he could recognise. He was right, of course. That was something that the two at least shared, being a love of classical music. She knew it sounded very rich-European-family stereotype but it was just the way that she was raised unfortunately. If she was to like literature she had to read anything except something published past the twentieth century, if she was to love art it was nothing past the Romantic period to be hung in the house and the same went with music. Her father wrinkled his nose for the moment the radio was turned on before he switched to a classical music CD in the car. She didn't know why she was humming this song. The sense of feeling so far away from home had already passed so there was no need to miss considering she had longed to leave it far behind her. Satomi gazed at her from across the room and thought about how peaceful she looked. She looked so happy in her own little universe. She took in a deep breath and bravely strode across the room and hovered by the table from a reasonable distance.

"Hello." She greeted pleasantly. Rosalie looked up calmly and smiled at her. "Is it alright if I sit down?"

Rosalie nodded. "Of course you can. I don't own the table."

Satomi giggled and perched herself on the seat. "So how have you been?"

"I've just been doing the extra reading. I kind of got behind on the prep reading. What about you?"

"I already completed that. I planned on doing some extra reading but I got behind on that." She replied meekly.

Satomi smiled at her thinking that her diligence to her studies was adorable. "Well at least you've done more than most people." She assured her.

"Well that's me. The diligent student."

She paused and considered why she was like this as she suspected this could possibly be Satomi's next question and wanted to jump ahead of the game.

"I suppose it's because of my father."

"Why? Was your father the same way?"

Rosalie blinked to herself and shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, he was actually. Although that wasn't the primary reason I was thinking of. I think the main reason why I work so hard is because I want to make him proud. He was the kind of father you were always were...needing to obtain approval from."

Satomi eyed her suspiciously and leaned forward. "You're talking in the past tense." She commented cautiously.

Rosalie looked at her briefly and nodded. "Yeah. He died. A few months ago. They think it was cancer or something. I was away most of the time and he didn't want me knowing anything about what was happening to him."

Satomi resisted putting a hand on her shoulder knowing it would be a little creepy. She knew what it was like to lose a parent you constantly wanted approval from but never seemed to have enough time and ended up being too late in doing so.

"Well at least you have your Mom." She said.

Rosalie gave her a sad smile. "Actually I lost my Mother when I was young. Both my parents are dead now."

Satomi wanted to bang her head against the table but instead she replied, "I lost my Mom too." Rosalie suddenly looked up, finding a connection with this girl through the most unfortunate way.

"She died in a car accident."

Rosalie nodded and knew it was her turn. "She fell down the stairs. Broke her neck. Also an accident. Funny isn't it? With it being the one thing we have in common."

Satomi smiled sadily. "It might not be the only thing we have in common."

"Hopefully. So what part of the country do you come from?"

"Here. I just needed to get away from my family." She explained. "I felt I really wouldn't be having the proper college experience if I stayed at home with them."

"Might be cheaper."

Satomi smiled. "I suppose. What about you? Oh sorry. You come from the other side of the world. Then again where about's does your family in Japan live?"

"Here. Although I live with them. I just thought that it would be a bit...much to not live at least in the confines of my family. I thought I might take baby steps."

"Do you miss your home?"

Rosalie sat there for a while thinking about this and found herself shaking her head. "No. But it's different. Being somewhere else. It can be disorientating as it can be exciting. I would be lying to you if I told you I completely and utterly missed home and I would also be lying to you if I said I completely and utterly didn't."

"So you're somewhere in between?"

"You could say that."

She left her home. She thought she would be happy to leave her home, but like any other university student she felt uncertain with being away from home, especially being as far away as she was, despite the fact that she felt more at home here than she did in Venice. Though there was something else which was nagging at her mind. Something which almost felt like regret if anything else. She walked away from the beautiful city of Venice which she had to admit she would always miss it. It was her home ever since she was eighteen with the other being a little town in the French countryside. It was her beautiful cage. Something which could almost seducing her into staying a place which was slowly killing her. She left all she knew. That was the scariest thing about leaving home. She was going to a place she didn't know which came hand in hand with not knowing about the dangers, risks and wonders she would encounter. She remembered when she left Yuri had made an appearance amongst the rest of the other family members.

As Yuri watched her go she could see that in Yuri's eyes conveyed the mourning of the city rather than the people who lived there which mourned the departure of its prisoner. She saw in her eyes that it was going to lose one more ghost and it was ghosts which was the only thing which kept it thriving for all these years. Once another ghost it was slowly weakening. Some of the other family members said goodbye to her the night before. They were nothing to remember, they were simple goodbyes and sometimes she would look amongst the faces and try and find her father only to remember she made their goodbyes long before this day. She tried to think of what her father would say if he was there that day. Maybe he was be reserved about his emotions, or maybe he would show that sentimental side of him which she saw on his deathbed. Maybe he would have tried to dissuade her from going back. She wasn't entirely sure. Who knew? She knew more than anyone there was no point in playing if, buts and maybes. They bade their farewell in their own way. Politely with no emotion or feeling behind their words. There was nothing affectionate in their goodbyes and Rosalie felt no remorse over their lack of sympathy or at not at least trying to use it as the chance to clean the blood between them. She didn't really care because the whole point in her leaving was to put all of that behind her.

"It's a little complicated." She added shaking her head.

"Everything about you is." Satomi observed. "It's not a bad thing. In fact, it's kind of interesting."

Rosalie raised her eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah."

She never really saw it that way before, she could see why some people would find it fascinating from an outsider's perspective but she was sure that if they learnt the entire truth of why she was always keeping secrets from others she was sure they would understand why she was complicated and everything which came with it. She was even more certain of the fact that they would understand why she kept everyone at a distance. When she looked at Satomi something began to overwhelm Rosalie. She wasn't sure what it was but there was this feeling of being unable to breathe. It was almost like her heart was finally beginning to give in and for a moment before everything turned out alright again she thought she was suffering from what her father had which didn't really make any sense at all since she hardly used her 'gift' enough to actually be brought to the state her father was in a few months ago. She clutched her jacket where she could feel her heartbeat and closed her eyes. She was suddenly consumed the the sensation of pain which hadn't being inflicted upon her. She felt herself being pulled down in this part of her body and that her skin was on fire. A feeling which was both haunting and inevitable. She knew this was coming. It was natural for this emotion to overwhelm her with the separation between her and the rest of the Laurents in Venice.

She beginning to forget the person who was once herself. It was like her heart was on a string and there was something on the other end tugging at it. Yuri. She always knew the hold the head of the family would always have on her. It was something which was never going to go away. Not unless she was dead, but she wasn't nearly brave enough to do something like that. The funny thing was that she would be able to get away with it. All she had to do was touch her and will herself to suck the life out her. No one would know a thing, save the people in her family but they could hardly hold up the case in a court. But she wasn't that person. She would never be able to do something like that another person. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing she was considering. Sure, it was murdering another person but this was someone who was probably planning to do worse things to her in their spare time. She still shook her head trying to think of rainbows and ponies. As demeaning as it sounded she knew the more she dwelt on these dark thoughts the more she was turning into Yuri. She was someone who only thought of other people's misery rather than thinking about her own pitiful life. Someone who lived by the principles than she did was someone who was just wasting away the amount of life that they had left in them. She had to laugh at herself though, since she couldn't even believe she was thinking about Yuri in this way.

She felt like she was a completely different person. Hell, ever since she arrived in Japan she felt like a different person. Maybe it was the very fact that she was in a different environment influenced her behaviour or maybe brought out a side to her that she never thought she had. The person who she was before was a pitiful creature, a slave to those she dared not raise her voice to. She was afraid of the mere shadow of Yuri. She was not even herself. She was another person's puppet. She would usually think twice about the things she said while she was here a few months ago. She didn't know what had come over her. Now she was willing to even consider killing her since she thought it was the logical way of dealing with her current predicamnet. Perhaps it was because she felt she no longer had to be afraid. The saying, 'you give them an inch, they'll go a mile' came to mind. She was running thousands of miles away. Once the cage door had opened she wasn't going to hesitate in running as fast as she could in order to get away from that prison. No matter how beautiful it may be. She was here to stay and nothing was going to drive her back to that place.

She smirked to herself, thinking that she sounded so determined when she had these thoughts running through my mind. However she could hear Yuri whispering in her ear. She felt like there was a cold wind brushing over her skin and tickling her neck as an unwanted visitor would in an attempt to seduce their prisoners. She could hear the curse which would befall her for committing such a crime. It was almost like their minds were one, that there was some connection between the two of them. She could feel her discomfort. Her anger. Her desperation. She didn't know how she could be brought to such a conclusion. It made her feel sorry for her which was the last thing she deserved. She had done so many things to her which gave her enough reasons to think otherwise about her. For the hatred she felt towards her family and what she was. For the sense of abandonment Yuri was suffering in her absence. She was cursed for as long as she would be there for her betrayal. Rosalie clenched her fist and knew she couldn't allow herself to be tied back like this. Just thinking about her was enough for Yuri to be able to prove her wrong about what she was doing. She wasn't going to let her anxieties get to her. She wasn't going to allow Yuri to control her when she was so far away. She was above that. She was stronger than that. She wasn't going to allow herself to be the prisoner.

"Yeah." She repeated.

"So. Tell me about you. I hardly know anything about you."

Rosalie felt herself go red. "Why would you possibly want to know...anything about me?"

Satomi gave her a look. "Why would there be something I wouldn't want to know about you?" She teased.

_Oh you have no idea, _she thought.

~ (***) ~

As Rosalie walked home that day the bitter, spring wind made her eyes sting. Or was it that she was crying? Right now, her emotions were so all over the place that she wasn't entirely sure where she was. She couldn't believe that such a brief conversation could affect her so much and with someone she hardly knew. If she thought about it, she told her more than she had confided with any of her family members. Merely because she trusted her and that said a lot about the confidence she had in her family. She couldn't understand why this girl she knew so briefly made her feel so afraid but also made her feel like she wanted more conversations like she had done that day. There was just a way that she looked at her which made her feel nervous and she didn't know why. She blinked away the tears which was brought by fear and foreboding. Maybe this was the feeling of letting go. She looked around self-consciously as she never felt comfortable in people seeing her cry. It was that need to never show any signs of weakness. She longed for happiness. She longed for freedom but these things didn't come without other things. Risks and dangers. Their polar opposites. Sorrow. Imprisonment.

In the midst of her freedom she didn't know whether she truly wanted the world or another place to call home. She wasn't even sure whether there was a place out there which she could call home. She felt like an aimless wanderer who didn't have a home but the world. Some would think it greedy to make such a comment but she thought it more romantic which made it even more shudder-worthy. She walked down the road and saw that her home was in sight. She took in a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. When she saw it she was filled with a little more warmth than the other places she had called home in the past. She felt that this was going to be closest which she would ever call home. She knew now she had got what she wanted but there was something more. There was something else that needed to fill that emptiness she felt in her heart. It was filled with Nana's smile, Momiji's bright brown eyes, with Tohru's cooking, with the sounds of her mother playing the piano. She had a feeling it was something a lot of people felt was missing from their lives as well as her own. She looked up and saw that the sun was beginning to sink into the earth and the night was approaching. The evening star could be seen now and she knew this was a sign of inevitability slowly beginning to sink in.

She walked towards the place she now called home the wind dancing around her joyfully. She looked around to make sure that it wasn't a sparrow dancing around her or whether it was a child who was encircling around her but all she saw was the invisible playmate who always seemed to find you again even though you sometimes went a long time thinking that they had left you and were never going to come back. She swung her arms from side to side with a small smile playing on her lips. She had never really had a childhood, when her mother died, that had been robbed of her and now she had to find it again. Maybe not her childhood, but the child which was still there inside her. She knew that she was there because she could hear her sometimes. She sometimes spoke to her in the deepest moments of the night when she couldn't sleep or when she was in her deepest sleeps whispering things to counter what Yuri had told her. She knew there was no denying it now. She was finally beginning to break away. She felt like she was beginning to fade away from the existence that she once had. It was sooner than she thought it was. Maybe it was because of Rin. Maybe it was because of Tohru. Or maybe it was because of Satomi. Or maybe even Momiji. She wasn't sure who it was that had helped her bring herself to this point. One thing she couldn't deny though was this: That there was a part of her which was finally letting go.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twenty Two

For **skycloud94**

_Pacey: [over the intercom] Audrey, it's me. Look, I don't know if you can hear me right now but if you can, please don't get on that plane, please. Or you know what, if you do get on that plane, its fine because all you're gonna make me do is make me drive across country and hang out in front of your parent's Beverly Hills mansion until you talk to me. Because I have to tell you that I am really, truly sorry for everything, and I'm sorry that I wasn't completely truthful with you and I'm sorry for my predilection for the company of older women. It's just that this has been a really strange year for me Audrey, because while the rest of you guys are off to in the whole college thing, I was just doing my best to stay afloat. And believe me, nobody is handing out road maps for the road less traveled, you just kinda got to get on and start driving. But ultimately, the only thing that I'm gonna take away from this year and the only thing that I'm gonna remember is you, because you are amazing Audrey. And you came along at the time when I thought all the big loves of my life are behind me, and you just rock my world. And I know that you and I don't actually even know each other that well yet but, I'm sure that I could live without you, I'm just not sure that I want too, Audrey, so that's it. Uh, that's it. That's my pitch. So, peace out everybody. Free the West Memphis Three._

_~ **Swan Song, Dawson's Creek**_

~ (***) ~

It was time for Rosalie to say goodbye. As she moved the food on her plate at lunch from side to side she knew it was finally time for her to truly say goodbye. It was time for her to say goodbye to the home which she had already left and embrace the new one. It was like she was entering into a new age, she felt like a Russian at the time of the Communist Revolution when the old days were gone and new leadership of her country was about to take power. She was filled with hope and apprehension. She didn't know what would happen or what she would expect but she was happy to embrace something other than what she knew.

She would also need to say goodbye to a lot of other old things in the old life she once had. She had to say goodbye to the old life where there was no freedom or happiness within it and accept the fact that those concepts which were once so alien to her were now possible. She had to let go of the old family which she was once had, which will always be a part of her she had to admit but had to embrace the new family which was always a part of her but one which was separated from her. She once saw Venice as a beautiful, glittering city which seduced her with its exterior beauty when within its walls there was a cage reserved for herself if she allowed herself to be seduced by it for too long. Recently she began to see it as the cage it once was but now she realised it was none of those things. A city, town, village, anywhere could easily be a cage or a playground. The truth it was the person in that city which was her jailer. Yuri. She looked over her shoulder one last time before she got into the car which would take her to the airport, to Japan, to her new home with a smile on her face. She did not cry because she knew there was no use for tears at a time when there was no reason to mourn.

As she thought of all these things she knew she had to make an act of defiance. Not necessarily one which went directly towards Yuri and not a loud, destructive one either. It had to be one which was loud enough to tell those who knew her from her old life that she had enough. She wasn't going to be a puppet. She wasn't going to be a slave any more. She was going to be what she was all along. She was going to be herself. To serve only herself and to those she could trust to be generous to them as well as to love them. She wrapped her arms around her body when a person's face appeared to her. Momiji. Why did his face always appear when she thought of the possibility of love?

"Hello you."

She looked up to find the brown-eyed, blonde haired boy standing over her. _Speak of the devil. Or more think of the devil..._

"What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking..." Momiji sat himself down and waited patiently for her to answer. "I was thinking it would be nice to have a get together at my place."

"Really? That sounds so exciting! When shall we have it? Who's going to come? Wait- Tohru can't come. Perhaps we could hold it off till then. Wait- Sorry this is something you're organising don't mind me."

She giggled. "That's fine. I'm more worried about her boyfriend...What was his name again?"

Momiji chuckled. "You can remember Tohru's name but you can't remember your cousins name? Its Kyo. I have to admit that would be a bit tricky. He doesn't like driving but its the cheapest way for them to get here I suppose. Trains fares have become a bit of a nightmare for them."

"What about petrol?"

Momiji shrugged. "Well...that's true. I suppose I could use that on him. He doesn't mind the train or public transportation if I recall rightly. So perhaps this weekend?"

"You seem pretty adamant for her to come." She teased.

"She wants to get to know you. And I want you to get to know her. She's a very dear friend of mine and of the family. She is about to become a part of the family, possibly in a few years time if Kyo asks the dreaded question. She'll say yes. That's predictable. So really...You should get to know her the best you can."

"I guess I can't refuse then." She replied. "So all the other family members who can come on any chosen day."

She got out her notebook and ripped out a page to compile a list of people to send an invite to on facebook.

(**A/N: **Yes I am going to make facebook references in this story and I am sure I'm right in saying facebook was invented in 2003 right? So really hopefully by the time this story is set facebook would've existed and be full established by then? I don't know but...anyway on with the story.)

"Probably the Saturday." Momiji said. "They'll leave on the Sunday and arrive on the Friday before and it would be too rushed to have it on the days which they would be arriving and leaving."

"Look at you being so sensible and organised." She smiled. "Don't worry I'm friends with all you guys on facebook. Not that you guys gave me a choice. The first time I went on since I was here I had about a billion friend requests from various family members."

"Well really it's only natural to be friends with your family on facebook." Momiji protested.

"Anyway we need to decide on a date and a time for invite the others. Otherwise they won't let us create it."

"Okay...12? I don't know I thought it would be nice for it to be a dinner thing. Although then again a lunch date wouldn't be so bad either."

"Why not both?"

"Oh. It would be too much for Nana."

"Don't worry I'll call her!" He said already dialling her number.

"WAIT! HOLD ON!"

"Hey Nana? It's Momiji. Rosalie was planning a big get together and was wondering if it would be too much trouble to do lunch and dinner. It wouldn't? Oh wonderful. Thank you." He put down the phone and turned to Rosalie. "She said it was okay."

"You don't say." She fumed.

"Huh? What is it?" He leaned forward within kissing distance which made Rosalie go red. "You're not mad with me?"

He reached out to touch her cheek and brought her a little closer. "I hope I didn't make you mad. I guess we just settled our differences I'd hate to mess it up again."

She couldn't move. She couldn't think. She couldn't speak. Rosalie began to tremble all over. It was like she was coming down with something however it was something it couldn't be cured. It wasn't something which needed to be cured really. It wasn't something any doctor could really diagnose it was something the person themselves could only know. It was something felt from the inside. She felt her body tingle and a charge from the place where Momiji touched her. She was familiar with this sensation since it was the _'gift'_ which she was branded with from the Laurent's. It was such a burden. It was such a gift as much as it was such a curse.

She shivered at the thought of thinking of what may happen if she did something with this energy. It was strange. It was the strongest energy she had ever felt from another being. Even from her other cousins and with the energy she could feel from their 'gifts' she never felt something like this. She felt his life force in his chest. His heartbeat which was running fast than hers even though it didn't seem that obvious. He seemed so calm. So relaxed. She was so frightened of what she could do with so much energy. She knew what she could do and she was scared of using it. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on their ends. Her heart was beating faster as it did whenever she talked or thought about Momiji. She didn't know what to do.

She wanted to pull away from him but she couldn't move. He was gripping onto her to hard. Or was she afraid of showing any sign of rejection? She didn't want him to think she didn't like him. She had been behaving too strangely around him. She clutched onto the side of the seat and wanted to shut her eyes and pretend this was a wonderful dream. She wished that this was a dream. So badly. However she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from his penetrating stare. Usually they were dancing with excitement but now he was staring into her eyes as if he was staring into her soul. The look which only he and Yuki gave her because they knew. They knew she was hiding something which she was determined to hide. She wanted to reach out and brush her fingers through his butter blonde hair to feel how soft it was. Yet she knew she couldn't. She wanted to embrace him for all eternity. She wouldn't. She was too scared of what she might do to him...

~ (***) ~

"Oooooo. Look Akito there's an invitation for a party round at Rosalie's house." Shigure cried brightly.

Akito glided into the room and peered at the screen. "This is surprising. I was beginning to think that Rosalie was a bit of a recluse."

Shigure peered at her out the corner of his eye and wrapped and arm around her. "Weren't you a bit of a recluse before?"

Akito raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

Shigure smiled with amusement and ran his fingers through her hair. They had all come so far from where they were before. Before they were stuck in the dark ages with their curse. After it was lifted they all seemed to enter into the world which they were walled from and into a golden age. However due to the private discussions he had with Akito about the Laurent family and from observing her, Shigure could tell Rosalie was still trapped in that same cage. The Laurent family was more private than the Sohma family once was so to hear that they were sending the cousin which was apparently most valued by the head of the Laurent family was quite a shock to the Sohma's, considering that they could sense some antagonism from Yuri.

He wagged his finger in her face and chided, "Then don't judge her, my sweet. After all...I suppose she's just trying to reach out to the world now..."

~ (***) ~

Yuki walked in after his lectures were finished and hung his coat up. It had been cold recently even though it was spring now. Winter had passed but it seemed to find it difficult to let go. He called for Machi who was in the kitchen making lunch. He smiled as he watched her prepare the food. She was much better than he could ever be. After that disaster during the brief time Tohru had left them years ago and knew he was never to step into the kitchen ever again. Machi knew he was watching her as there was a faint smile on her face and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye every now and then. She put so much effort of making things, not perfectly, but achieving whatever it was she set out to do that day. She didn't want things to be perfect. He knew that was one of the things she didn't like at all. He remembered when he broke the chalk in half which was sitting to next to her. She told him a year after they started dating that she noticed what she did and knew now the reason why he did it. He was glad of this. He was glad that she knew he would do anything for her.

He turned away and turned on the computer. He always made it his daily routine to check it for e-mails and updates on his facebook page. People from the rest of the his family were always texting him and demanding why he hadn't made a comment or 'liked' something they had written. Or even replied to a message. It made him wonder why they didn't text him directly if it was so urgent.

There was also the business of events which was also organised on facebook which he had to admit was more efficient and there was no cost which came with making calls or sending out texts.

He signed into his facebook page to find there was a event being held which he was invited to. He clicked on it reluctantly knowing that it may be something organised by Shigure which would involve bad food and many drunken men by the end of the night. He sighed and clicked onto it and his eyes widened when he saw was it was. Rosalie was apparently organising an event with Momiji which involved a lunch and dinner. He was shocked that the shy, distant girl was organising something, let alone being shocked at who she was organising it with. He scanned who was invited and grimaced when he saw that Shigure was already going. Although since Akito was also attending he may be on better behaviour. He smiled and thought about the shy girl who was so lonely inside like he was and clicked 'Attending'.

~ (***) ~

"Haru get off the computer and help me with the unpacking."

"We're almost done. Take a break." Haru replied as he looked over Amazon with Izumi bouncing in his lap.

"That's why we should finish it!" Rin replied impatiently.

Haru ignored her and signed into facebook as he got a text from Shigure to check it for something. He saw an event which he had been invited to and clicked onto it.

_Lunch and Dinner at Rosalie's!_

Haru raised his eyebrows and called to Rin. "Honey we've got a party to go to on Saturday!"

~ (***) ~

Arisa was surprised that she had received an invite. She looked on her facebook page and saw she had been given an invite to a party at Rosalie's on Saturday even though she had only met the girl once. Then again she was associated to her in some form and she couldn't imagine her knowing many people considering from what she had heard about her social skills. She noticed Kureno hadn't yet replied to it and hacked into his account and accepted on his behalf. She wondered whether he had realised yet that he knew she knew his passwords to practically everything. She accepted the invitation but still decided to call Hana to see if she had seen it since her invite was still had no response. Sometimes she needed to call Hana to make her check her emails and facebook page. It was hard enough to get sign up on it. She would've thought she would've be appealed to the idea because of all the energy waves.

"_Arisa?"_

"Why am I not surprised you know its me?"

"_There's also something about an invite."_

"Yeah. It's at Rosalie's house. Although Kazuma didn't get an invite."

"_He doesn't have a facebook account. Alright I've accepted. There's something strange about that girl."_

"What do you mean?" Arisa knew there was something strange about this girl but she had to admit she was curious as to what Hana would say about it.

"_I can sense of lot of energy coming from that girl. More energy than I could sense from the Sohmas. It's very strange. There was some energy coming from her cousin but there was an overwhelming amount coming from her."_

"Are you going to be okay? With all that energy I mean?"

"_Yes. Although I am still curious..."_

~ (***) ~

"We will most surely go!" Ayame announced. "I am determined to make a sister of Rosalie even though we do not share the same parents as her. But our beloved father was twins with her mother therefore we must be closer to her than the rest of the family."

Mine jumped up and down on the spot and started rushing around for something to wear when Kakeru and strangely enough Hatori came into the shop.

"Kakeru! Hatori! It's such a delight to see you here. Are you here for something special?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Hatori replied coldly. "I was just wondering whether you were attending the party at Rosalie's this weekend."

"Ditto." Kakeru said.

"Why of course." Ayame said clicking 'attending' on the screen. "I would not hesitate."

"You just clicked 'attending'." Hatori retorted.

"I just found out about it, Hatori. Anyway you have not said why you are here."

"Just to warn you not to make a show of yourself. Rosalie is a very delicate person with a very delicate...situation I would not want you to upset her."

Kakeru who was distracted by all the costumes didn't pay attention to this conversation however for a moment Ayame stared at him in surprise.

"What do you mean by that Hatori?"

Hatori stopped at the door as he was about to leave. He hadn't intended on saying anything more than he already had done. He had promised William Laurent that he wouldn't speak of the curse which hovered over the Laurent family. When he was first told the truth he was unsure as to whether he should believe William. However there was a seriousness in his tone and his cold stare said otherwise. He then began to consider the curse which once haunted his own family and realised that sometimes the impossible could be possible. Even something like this.

He had said all he needed to say and could've simply made a phone call about this however he needed to look him in the eye. He needed to make sure that he really wouldn't do anything stupid. Ayame and Shigure were ticking bombs when they were on their own. When they were together it was likely that disaster could strike at any moment and with people like William, Erik and Rosalie nearby precautions needed to be carried out. He certainly wasn't going to tell Ayame the reason why he was being so cautious. He knew he would tell someone else eventually with that person being Shigure who would eventually tell someone else and so on.

He didn't need to worry about Shigure though as he had Akito now to warn him of doing anything foolish. Akito would surely not tell him anything to make him suspicious either although anything Akito seemed to say made Shigure suspicious. However Akito could handle that sort of thing. However Hatori only had to worry about the issue at hand and not of the ones which may arise in the future or the ones which were not in his hands. He knew all about it. The curse which plagued the Laurent family. He knew all about family curses but this one was worse. This one could never be lifted. This was a curse which stayed with a person for life. It had its upsides but it also had its disadvantages. The power which they wielded could sometimes be too much to control and would result in their being destruction if not kept in check. It was something which could only be heightened under stressful situations which could easily be made worse by a presence such as Ayame and Shigure.

"Something which should be left well alone." He replied before walking out the door.

Ayame stared after him suspiciously and wondered what was behind all of this mystery. "Oh by the way a friend of mine called Kimi is coming to this party as well. She's stopping by in a bit. You're gonna love her."

Ayame spun round. "Does she like to dress up?"

Kakeru blinked. "Does she like it? She loves to."

~ (***) ~

Kisa and Hiro walked from school hand in hand talking about their day at school. Hiro finally asked to actually go out on a date with her about a year thinking that it felt like it was time to ask her out. Kisa gave him a sweet smile and accepted. Everyone at the school was in awe of the strangely paired couple as Hiro tended to be so serious and had the mannerisms of an old man and Kisa had a sweet, gentle temperament and sometimes was thought to be a small child still as she still skipped about the halls even if she was still holding Hiro's hand. The thing was though Hiro liked that she behaved like a child in a way. It made it less obvious that she was a year older than him even though that didn't bother him that much. It never bothered Kisa either who thought it was more about the person than the age.

That day Kisa needed help with her homework and they both thought it would be easier since his mother wanted him to watch over his little sister, Hinata as she was doing a late shift at work. Kisa loved Hiro's little sister anyway. She thought she was the most adorable thing in the world. Whenever she came round the little three, almost four-year-old who was now walking would raise her pudgy arms in the air to Kisa to pick her up. Kisa would be more than happy to comply and would swing her around making her and the little girl laugh. Hiro would always watch her with a warm smile and think only that she would one day make a wonderful mother.

That day was no different. The next door neighbour greeted them as his mother had left about half

an hour ago and waved them goodbye after engaging in a little small talk and would ask how their relationship was going as if they were already married. Her tone of voice sounded like she should've been asking whether there were going to be any children along the way rather than what they did together on Valetine's Day. Hiro rolled his eyes when he closed the door and turned around to find Kisa and Hinata laughing together. They climbed up the stairs which Kisa still in her arms once they reached Hiro's room. She sat on his bed bouncing Hinata up and down when something buzzed in Hiro's pocket. It was a text message from Haru telling him to check his facebook account. He wrinkled his nose and did it anyway.

He didn't find anything amiss until he spotted an unresponsive invitation to an event. He clicked on it to find Rosalie was having a party at her house.

"Kisa do you want to go on your facebook account before we get started?" He asked clicking 'attending'.

"Why?"

"Because there's a party on Saturday."

~ (***) ~

"It's lovely that you guys are finally getting engaged. We all thought this would've happened sooner." Kagura said as she sipped her tea.

"I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO TAKE SO LONG! I'M SORRY FOR BEING SO COWARDLY! I'M SOOOOOORRRYY!" Ritsu wailed.

Mitsura shivered nervously. "I'm sorry. It's just a lot of pressure on Ritsu. Ayame and Shigure have been pestering him and I think it's so unfair to make him so stressed about it."

Kagura nodded. "Anyway. Don't worry you can tell everyone at the party on Saturday."

Ritsu looked up now and blinked. "What party?"

"Have you not checked your facebook account? Rosalie's having a party at her house."

"I'M SOOOOOORRRYY!" Ritsu screamed as he ran out the room to the computer.

~ (***) ~

Satomi sighed as she walked through the door after studying in the library for five hours straight. Reading and taking notes for that long could be really mind numbing. She always though music would be a more practical subject rather than an academic one but never mind. She was here now and she had no right to complain. There were many people in her class who had to retake the year somewhere else or in the same school because they hadn't worked that hard. She swung her bag off her shoulder and took off her coat. It was still cold. When was it going to get warmer? She thought they were approaching summer not winter. Winter had come and gone for now.

She rubbed her shoulder which had been pressed against her shoulder due to the heavy books in her bag. Not wanting to leave it in the corridor and getting shouted at by another house-mate because she had left a bag in the corridor which she tripped over because the light wasn't on and the said house-mate couldn't see where she was going. So she wanted to get ahead of the curve by not entering into a shouting match as to who is less consideration and more stupid. This wasn't Nori of course. Just Mimi. A highly strung Biology major who everyone hated. She picked up the bag reluctantly and climbed up the stairs and went to her room switching on her computer.

She browsed through her accounts and her e-mails. There was nothing that interesting. She went onto facebook hoping to find something a little interesting like an update on the groups she had joined since she arrived. She tried to make herself out to be one of the most social butterflies on campus since that was supposed to be part of the whole experience after all. Her eyes caught something which attracted her attention being an invite to an event. She clicked on it to see that Rosalie had invited her to a party round at her house. Her house. She was going to Rosalie Laurent's house. With her family. Her eyes widened and without any hesitation she clicked 'attending'.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twenty Three

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_Miss Patty: I'm not rewriting my memories, Kirk._

_**~ Swan Song, Gilmore Girls**_

~ (***) ~

She knew there would be consequences. There always was. No matter what she did consequences always followed. As she walked into the dining room for dinner she could feel the tension in the air as she sat down. Consequences was always a word to her which was associated with punishment. Whenever she did something 'bad' Yuri would always say to her before she would be punished,

'_Surely you knew Rosalie. That there are always consequences.'_

William, who was being quiet as usual, had the contemplative expression on his face when he was about to have a serious talk with someone. Erik was being uncharacteristically quiet. She knew now that something bad was going to happen. Being one of the younger members of the family. Despite the fact that Rosalie wasn't exactly one of the youngest in the family she still received this treatment when she knew about these matters better than most in the family. She probably came third in that as well with William being one step ahead of her only because he was older than her.

She sat down quietly and eyed William every now and then while she ate her food. The whole table was quiet. Her Nana would try to engage in some conversation about university or her studies or whether she had seen the Sohma family recently. Erik never liked silences and tried to break it down as much as he could but today he had nothing to say. She turned back to William who was still eating his meal in peace. He was going to leave it till after dinner. He was always polite and courteous to his hosts or hostesses as he never wanted to make a huge show or scene before them. Yet it was always a big show because he was simply acting the part of the polite doctor. She knew the real reason why he didn't want to bring it up in her Nana's presence was because he didn't want any more suspicion surrounding the family. He was the guardian as Rosalie was the threat which was endangering them by trying to knock down those boundaries which had been constructed around her.

She shook her head at this and smirked. He always tried on put on the charade that he was just being polite but the real reason why he was so tight lipped and obedient was for cowardly reasons. He knew full well of the treatment she had received from Yuri over the years and the only reason why he never stepped in was because he didn't want the same thing being done to him. He would sometimes escort her to Yuri when she was about to receive her punishment. If he had a shred of morality in him he would try to persuade the younger family member to do otherwise. Or would at least say something comforting to her because every time she went to see Yuri she felt like she was being marched to her death and William was simply a cold-hearted jailer who unlocked the gate when it was time for checks and for the final walk. He seemed like the coldness, hardest, most frightening person most people would encounter but they hadn't seen anything. He was just a coward to her.

After she was finished she got up to help her Nana with the dishes as she usually did and when she walked up the stairs she was stopped by an outstretched hand blocking her way.

"May I get through please?" She asked dully.

"Not before you've answered my questions." William replied. "What made you think you could organise this get together before asking me?"

"I asked my Grandmother. She seemed fine with it and considering this is _**her **_house and not yours I thought it not only necessary but also courteous to only ask her permission."

"You also forget that I am the one watching over you." He hissed darkly. "If anything happens I will be blamed."

"No, William. I will be blamed. I will be punished. The punishment that you may receive will be a mere ear twisting in comparison to mine. You know that."

William stared down at her with an emotionless expression in his eyes. "I only said something to warn you not to do anything stupid."

"I know." She grumbled and pushed his arm away to continued up the stairs.

She continued up the stairs with her mind wandering back to Venice. She scratched her forehead wondering why she was thinking about Venice. Why now? When she was taking those small steps forward away from that life why was she suddenly walking backwards all of a sudden? Then it hit her. It was William's warnings which took her back. It was not his voice but Yuri's when he spoke to her. She remembered their last exchange and what Yuri said to her. She told her something which weighed on her heart. She sent her a curse which was as heavy as the one she already carried but was in some ways a thousand times worse.

Her mind was beginning to cloud over with the mists of her past and she brought her hand to her forehead in an attempt to cool the vengeance of her darker memories for not going back to them so often. So many memories rushed back to her. Ones where she could only remember the pain and the darkness. The ones which were painted with blood and wrapped in chains. They wanted her to be consumed by them. Obsessed by them so that she remember her place. She had no right to be doing the things she was doing but she did it anyway. It was her only way to fight it. She supposed this was what Yuri was talking about before she left. Yuri always mentioned that she would never truly be able to get away. That no matter how fast she ran it would never be far enough...

_As she walked through the gardens of the estate she bade farewell to the lime green trees which was bent over the path towards the little glass house Yuri always resided in. She would not miss them though. She always dreaded this walk. No one else spent any time in the glass house because it was the place where Yuri always was and no one ever dared to stay in Yuri's presence for too long. There would only be two places if you were looking for Yuri, not that many people in the family or in the household were ever eager to seek Yuri out, which were Yuri's rooms or the glass house._

_Rosalie never understood why Yuri spent so much time in the glass house. It was so open which she was something Yuri seemed to despise. Also it was so hot in there when she would suspect that Yuri would also prefer the cold. Yuri always seemed to be the type to always want to be in the cold rather than in a place which sucked in the warmth. She always seemed to be the type to want to suck the marrow out of life. Or to suck the marrow out of the lives of others. Then again this made sense to Rosalie now. With Yuri wanting to be at the source where all warmth, happiness, brightness was sucked in and deprived from anyone who truly needed it._

_The shadows cast across the path like ghosts haunting the grounds. She knew there were too many ghosts here. She looked up and saw the door was open but could see nothing but darkness inside. Yuri also liked the glass house because it was surrounded by trees which covered it with darkness. She took in a deep breath and stepped forward before entering into the hot, suffocating darkness. She knew the path from the door to Yuri's dwelling place well so there was no need to be frightened of getting lost. She stepped through where she knew the door was and could see Yuri's silhouette sitting in the corner. Yuri was wearing all black. A black shirt, black trousers, black jacket. Rosalie could only think that Yuri must be boiling by now but didn't seem bothered by it at all._

"_Rosalie." Yuri greeted. It almost sounded like the voice of a wailing ghost._

_"How are you? Are you ready to leave?"_

_This last question was asked in a scornful voice which almost sounded like a hiss. Yuri might as well have asked 'Are you ready to abandon me traitor...'_

_Rosalie stood before her stiffly and nodded. "Yes, Yuri. I am. I was told you wanted to see me."_

_This was another rule in the Laurent household. You never requested to see Yuri. You were always requested by Yuri to the head of the family. There was no other way that it went around._

"_Yes. I just wanted to say goodbye." Yuri got up and walked towards Rosalie swiftly and brought her into a tight embrace. "You are never going to be able to forget us. You know that don't you? As long as you have the gift you are never going to be able to forget who you are. What you are and we both know what that is...Don't we Rosalie...?"_

_Rosalie only nodded. She knew what she was..._

Rosalie shook away the memory wanting to leave the past behind her. That was why she came here. She came here to put the past behind her and enter into a new life, a new world. In some ways, though, she was going back. She was going back to the place she first, really remembered feeling like she was home. A place where she associated with the love which she had lost. She lost it because of the curse. It was her own doing so she wondered whether she really deserved another chance. She wanted to put her death behind her but every time she acted against Yuri it was always brought up. It was Yuri's way of bringing her back down to her level because she was so alone. She was always going to be reminded by the death of her mother and the part she had to play in it.

She knew on that day that all innocence was washed away from her. Everything that was bright and good in her own little world was gone and now she only lingered in the shadows where in the distance she could see a little glimmer of light she could only have one in a million chances of hoping to reach it. Now she was standing right in front of that door. She was just afraid of opening it and seeing what was behind the door. She still wasn't sure whether to trust it with it being the unknown. She was hovering by the light now. She wasn't going forwards and she wasn't going backwards. She was stuck in between hope and resignation. Darkness and light. Freedom and imprisonment. Life and death...

_Rosalie let the wind blow in her hair as she was taken down one of the canals in a speed boat. She brushed her fingers against the surface of the silvery stream and watched the river roads pass her and bade her farewell to the city which was once her home. She had let it go now. People mourned when they were leaving a beautiful place but after the death of her father she never really that there were any ties here in Europe. She had people she was related to but when you were comparing to how you believe a family should treat you to how she has been treated she saw that there were no similarities and only opposites._

_When she arrived at her home she stepped onto the ground and walked towards her home. It was an old apartment where she was actually tended to by her father's chauffeur, her father's cook, her father's maid and her father's cleaner. It was a rather a big apartment to accommodate all of them but she still couldn't understand why they stayed. They had no obligation to her there was no need for them to remain. She once asked the one who had been with her father the longest, the cook who was a strong, tall Swedish woman called Pia._

_She replied, "It was because you are of his blood. As we have served your father we will also serve you."_

"_But you have no obligation to serve me any longer. I will be gone soon there is no need for you to stay."_

_Pia shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "It is still necessary. You are his child. It is still necessary for us to stay."_

"_But I will be gone soon. You're free to go."_

_Pia smiled and shook her head. "No, Miss Rosalie. No I don't think so."_

_Rosalie smiled grimly and looked up to find the youngish, German maid Ursula leaning out the window over the scarlet roses over the window sill. She had a round, rosy pink face but she didn't look fat more childlike. However at the age she was at youthfulness wasn't a bad physical feature to have. She had sparkling sapphire blue eyes which was now glittering with the remnants of the tears she had shed that morning. She had butter cream blonde hair which looked so beautiful next to her complexion and her eyes. It made her look like a fairytale princess out of a story not a simple maid from the modern day._

_Rosalie planted those red roses there months ago when she was in her last year of doing literature. She wanted more roses around the house but she didn't want it to look too cluttered with flowers so she supposed having them there would be the best way to solve the problem. She smiled at her and waved. She found her crying in one of the cupboards earlier that morning. She didn't realise that the servants were so sad to see her go. She really didn't understand it. She had been away from home for three years and they seemed to be behaving like she had to this strong, unbreakable relationship with them. She wasn't saying she didn't look down on them or treat them coldly. It was more something which they were feeling and a lack of understanding on her part._

_She walked into the house and instantly felt cool. She wandered up the stairs and around the corridors of the upper floor aimlessly. She didn't know where to go. She didn't know where to start. The feelings of anxiety and whether she was doing the right thing came back to haunt her. Then she assured herself that her father gave her permission. He told her that she could go and do what she wanted to do three years ago. She didn't have to stay here to do that either. That was the only person she was afraid of betraying in the Laurent family. Her father. Just as long as she didn't do anything wrong by him she wouldn't ever really feel like she had betrayed him. She would rather rip out her heart than do that._

_The gift which she shared with her father had caused so much pain between her and her parents. In fact it was their 'gift' which killed them both. Everything was a result of the curse which she carried. She had stopped walking and found herself next to the music room. She walked in mournfully and sat in front of the piano and touched the keys. She wasn't going to play a song of sadness. She pressed down on the keys and the music bounced joyfully off the walls like rabbits leaping through the spring grass. She wasn't going to give a tearful goodbye..._

Rosalie was laid out on her bed when Erik came into the room. Her hair was splayed out on the bed like a cushion or a silky blanket which she decided to lay her head on for security rather than comfort. He was going to back her on this one. He was excited at the prospect of having a party at the place where he resided. He had never done it before. He was always the guest to many parties where he usually went home with a bedmate. He was never the one to be the last at the party and look over it all and say to himself

_I did this. I was responsible for the happiness and enjoyment of this night._

When Rosalie was afraid of trying out new things Erik relished in the opportunities. He couldn't wait to begin the preparations.

However he knew the dangers of letting the world in. He could kind of see what Rosalie was saying now that the danger appeared on his doorstep. Everyone would have to be on their best behaviour and keep their powers in check. He knew what may happen if one of those loses control, particularly Rosalie. Some people had actually died as a result of her loss of control over her ability. He knew that her power had led to deaths. There was one which no one ever talked about and most pretended was an accident but they knew from the loss of this person could be seen in her eyes and they could also tell that she blamed herself for this and this guilt wasn't without cause.

"So. You're on an outward journey to not only piss off Will but also Yuri." Erik considered this for a moment while Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"No."

"Then I can ask why...? I mean don't get me wrong I want to get involved. Really I do but why do you want to get in trouble with Yuri so badly?"

Rosalie considered this question for a split second then answered. "Because I want Yuri to know that I can be free."

_On her last night she looked out the window after her fingers ached for playing the piano for too long. She looked down at her fingers after playing for a while and they looked raw and red as if she had been out in the cold for too long. She leaned out the same window Ursula was leaning out of when she watched her come in. The evening breeze was warm and soothing and she watched the sun set when day descended into night. The sky was cast with hot pink, emerald and plum at twilight and the sun was a sandy yellow. It was burning as brightly as a small flame. There was some form of hope but it was very small, very weak and very unpredictable. The city sparkled more brightly under the twilight sun than it did at midday. Just as it was about to disappear she said goodbye to the Venice sun as she knew she wouldn't see it for a while._

_After that the stars came out and she said goodbye to them too because she knew the stars in Japan would be different to the ones in Venice, due to the whole alignment in the sky or something like that. She didn't know that much about astronomy. However she still felt like she had to say goodbye. Even though she truly wasn't saying goodbye. She felt like she was running away from something. No, she was running away. To say she was just feeling that would imply that there was an uncertainty in feeling this. She knew that it was undeniable that she was running away from something. Although she had a feeling that there was no need for her to say farewell to the stars because she may be able to see a few of them in Japan. They would be her map if she ever was without a compass, a map, a guide. They would always be there is she needed a guide._

"_I'm here to say goodbye." A calm voice said from behind her._

_She smiled faintly knowing the owner of the voice. The most distant family member. One more distant than her. He never even went on to study something. He laid down his life to serve the head of the Laurent family, Yuri._

"_I knew you would be the last." She stated._

"_You're not upset?" He asked._

_She sighed and turned around to the tall, dark haired figure. "Now why would I be upset? Didn't I say I knew you would be the last to say goodbye?"_

_The young man tilted his head. He was only a year older than Rosalie but in reality she always felt like he was decades older._

"_Goodbye Rosalie. Although I feel it is my duty to say that your actions are most unwise."_

_Rosalie smirked. "Thank you Faron."_

Rosalie took in a deep breath and pressed the buzzer. She didn't know why she was here. After lunch she felt so uncomfortable when she thought about him. Her heart would thud in her chest. She would tremble all over. She would grow hot like white fire or as if she had a fever. She was constantly thinking about him. She had no idea why she was coming to see someone late in the evening who made her feel so uncomfortable. It didn't really make any sense in her mind for her to be here. She didn't know if he had plans or whether he was seeing someone or if he was out somewhere else like last time she came to see him. Her actions recently had been very unorthodox and impulsive. She wouldn't have been able to get away with this behaviour if she was in Venice.

The buzzer gave a screech before a voice replied to her call.

"_Who is it?"_

She recognised this voice but she was unsure as to who it was. She racked her brains until the first name she thought of popped into her head.

"Shigure? It's Rosalie."

"_Ah, long time no see. Please do come in."_

The gates opened and she walked in hesitantly as if she was entering into a notoriously haunted mansion. She kept on walking until she saw Shigure in his robe standing in the doorway waving.

"Rosalie this is a pleasant surprise. Please do come in."

She nodded to him respectfully and slid off her shoes. "I'm sorry to call in on such a late house but I was wondering-"

"I responded to your facebook request by the way. The party? Akito and I are attending."

Rosalie stared at him blankly until she got it. "Oh right. Wonderful. Um, I was actually wondering if I could see Momiji."

"Oh of course! He's organising it with you! Come along I'll show you to his room!" He cried already running down the corridor.

Rosalie sighed and tried to keep up with the maniac until she passed Akito who pointed to Momiji's door. She nodded to her and was about to knock on the door until she heard a violin playing. She frowned and looked around to see where it was. It was playing _Abschied. _A song she had been thinking about a lot lately. It was all about saying farewell to things even when we didn't want to. It was about saying farewell to a place you knew you would miss but it was necessary to leave and to move on. She turned back to the door and placed her ear against it. It was coming from inside the room. Whether Momiji was playing the violin or it was something being played from a machine she couldn't tell. However it seemed too full of life to be playing on a machine.

She gently pushed the door open and crept into the room. She found Momiji turned to the window playing the violin with his back to her. He was standing at an angle where she could see a glimpse of his face. It was so peaceful and calm as he played the music with his eyes closed. She could see he was putting his heart and soul into it and was riding with the music as a surfer would ride the waves. His forehead creased into a frown on the difficult notes and then smoothed over when he got past them. She sat down and watched him play for a while. She knew the moment she would say something he would stop playing and she found that she didn't want him to stop. She wanted him to finish to the very end.

Momiji opened his eyes for just a moment and caught sight of her in the shadows and stopped abruptly.

"I'm sorry. I should've-"

"No that's alright." He laughed. "You just startled me. Please, sit down."

He placed the violin down gently and turned back to her. "You play so passionately." She said suddenly.

"Sorry. I just thought I should say that."

Momiji tilted his head. "Because it's the polite thing to say?"

Her smile faltered slightly and shook her head. "No, because its true."


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/N**: Sorry for the long update. I've just started university and as you can imagine its filled with essays, presentations, reading and all that sort of thing (even if I'm doing Film and English hehe but still I want to do well.) I also have student loans to worry about so you can imagine that I've had a lot of sleepless nights! Hehe sorry if I make anyone worry. Anyway I hope this chappie makes up for it. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Four

For **TsukiWashi**

Satomi approached the house with a sense of apprehension. She was sure she had got the right address she checked the piece of paper again nervously which confirmed she was in the right place and cast her fearful eyes towards the door once again. She had no idea what was going to happen. She almost felt like she was saying goodbye for some reason. She felt this great sense that everything she knew and was familiar with was slowly drifting away from her and that she was entering into another existence where she she would be walking on ice. Before she walked out the door Nori fussed over her appearance like a mother would when their child was about to go on their first at school. She knew he was doing to ridicule her but she also knew he was going it with good humour and with her best interests at heart. She glanced over her shoulder one last time with the lamp still shining from his bed wondering if she was going to return home the same person. Home...It was funny she was calling this new, temporary place home...

She took in a deep breath and knocked on the door purposefully. Almost instantly a boy with blonde, spiky hair and mischievous face answered.

"Are you here for the party?" He asked good-naturedly.

She nodded with a blank look on her face. He gave her radiant, charming smile and stepped out of the way to let her in.

"Please come in. I'm Erik by the way. Rosalie's cousin."

"Are you her cousin on her European side by any chance?"

He scratched his head and gave her a funny look. "Huh. No ones ever phrased it like that before...Oh yes. I am. Sorry, I worried you about being racist. I'm sure that wasn't the intention."

Satomi looked at him only wondering whether he was making up the fact that they were related. Then again when she looked at him again she could see something of a resemblance. He had the same sort of distant look in his eyes that she had. His eyes were more playful than her serious, violet eyes. His looks were more fleeting when Rosalie held people within an intense gaze.

"Yeah..." She replied dully.

"Erik please stop harassing the guests. I gave you the job, which I recall you wanted so badly, of welcoming the guests. Not scaring them off."

Erik and Satomi looked up to find an annoyed Rosalie glaring at Erik with her hands on her hips. Satomi jokingly thought that she would make a good headmistress but knew she was the type to never have interest in taking such a job.

Erik gave her an innocent look and held up his hands in mock surrender. "I wasn't, Rosalie. I was merely good-naturedly teasing her."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and retorted, "There's never good intention behind your actions, Erik."

He chuckled. "Oh you would be surprised."

"Oh yes. If there was any one good thing that you had done with good intention then I would be surprised." She replied with a grin.

"Hey! I assure you that there are plenty of good things that I have done in my time. I'll have you know."

"Stop talking to me like you're my elder. I believe I am your elder."

"By age, yes. However mentally..."

"I'm light-years older than you in that respect." She grumbled.

"Hey..." Satomi murmured to herself. "I know this place."

The other two blinked at her, finally realising that their guest was still standing in the corridor. Satomi turned back to the them.

"I used to walk past here on my way to school. I suppose that's why it was so easy to find this place." She placed her hand on the back of her head and bashfully added. "Even though I felt like I had to check the address twice when I got to the doorstep."

"Well at least you have more sense than that baboon." Rosalie murmured glancing at Erik.

"Will you-!"

"I'm sorry. Please come this way, Satomi. A guest should never be left hanging by in the doorway." Rosalie said graciously. Erik fumed and stomped after them into the main room.

As Rosalie led her into the room Satomi felt oddly energised. She was nervous a minute ago but she felt like she had calmed down. It was almost something had been sprinkled over her head or there was something in the air which just relaxed her. Maybe there was some incense which had been lit in the house. Everything was wonderful now. She couldn't think of any reason as to why she should feel stressed. Today was to be a day where everyone shouldn't have a care in the world. Not even with the essay which was due next week or the fact that she had a family dinner next week. There was nothing to worry about.

Rosalie gently pushed her forward towards the others who had already arrived and smiled at her handy work.

Erik peered over her shoulder and gave her a knowing smile. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with the calm atmosphere of the party."

She narrowed her eyes at Erik and pouted. "No..."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I just thought you always saw your gift as a curse."

"Strange that you used an oxymoron in that sentence." She murmured.

"Your definition of what we can do is an oxymoron." He replied. "As you can see there's nothing you should really be worrying about. After all, you use it in the open without anyone knowing."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm merely experimenting..."

"Cautiously." He returned.

She looked back at him with a dark expression on her face. "You know full well what I'm capable f if I'm too daring."

He sighed and threw his hands in the air. "I'm sorry I said anything. But you should still know that its still possible for you to have a normal everyday life with the gift that you have."

She leaned against the doorway and watched as everyone conversed with one another. Satomi looked over at her and smiled. Rosalie hesitated and eventually returned this acknowledgement with a small smile of her own.

"I suppose." She mused. "Still..."

"Still what?"

She looked at him before walking into the kitchen. "I still find it funny that you think of it as a gift."

~ (***) ~

The afternoon dragged onto the even gracefully and with such ease that it almost brought William onto the edge of shock that nothing bad had happened. Even when one of their powers was active. Then again Rosalie was putting her power to good use. He just hoped she didn't bring it up too much. He had seen and had to deal with the consequences of Rosalie bringing too much of her power to the surface. Then again she was scarred more by this event than anyone else was. She glanced over her shoulder cautiously when she felt his presence at the doorway. That was another aspect of her power. Rosalie wasn't one to be able to sneak up on. A ghost could sneak up on her, if they existed but then again with their existence anything was possible.

"Are you okay?"

Rosalie blinked and noticed that Rin had seen that she was behaving strangely. She knew full well that there was a number of the Sohma family members who were beginning to notice something strange about her. Then she had a feeling that all of them were suspecting her of hiding something. It was just Rin was one of the ones who was making it more obvious than others.

She nodded and tried to give her a convincing smile. "It's just William's hovering...Almost like I haven't left home." She joked.

Rin glanced at him for a moment then turned back to Rosalie. "There is something about him...He reminds me of how Hatori used to be...Then again Hatori hasn't changed much since...Well since everything changed."

Rosalie stared at her quietly. _Looks like there's something the Sohma family is hiding as well..._

She reached out for a chaozu bun and took a bite. "I suppose bad habits die hard." She replied.

Rin blinked and felt this was something which was being directed at her. All things considered...

"I suppose they do."

Rin stretched her arms she had never felt so relaxed before. She smiled to herself at the sense of overwhelming peace she was experiencing with caused Rosalie to give her a knowing glance from the corner of her eye and smiled.

"What is it?" Rin asked.

Rosalie shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just glad your so relaxed. I noticed last time you were so tense and even though you had thrown off a load of baggage that can still be exhausting."

Rin tilted her head. "Even though I'm a little older than you. Even I feel like you know a lot more than you're letting on."

Rosalie chuckled to herself. "Sometimes I feel older than my actual age."

"That's not a bad thing you know."

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose not."

She turned outside and looked up at the night sky. Even though there were clouds cast across it she could still see the twinkling of a few stars shining brightly. It comforted her a little as it made her feel like it was her mother and father letting her know that they were watching over her. That everything was okay and was going to be okay. That there was nothing to worry about. That she was doing the right thing. She had to believe that everything was going to be okay. She knew that she had to begin to say goodbye to everything that she knew and walk down another path. She supposed that was the secret meaning for this party. It was a farewell and a welcoming party for everyone else but most importantly, as narcissistic as it sounded, for herself.

"The food is wonderful." Said a eerie but familiar voice. She looked up coolly and met the violet eyes of her cousin.

"I glad you like it." She returned. "Although Nana did most of the work."

Yuki smiled. "She always was a good cook. It almost makes me want to move in. Then again I like the independence. It makes me feel like I'm not under constant surveillance."

She considered this and nodded understandingly. "I can certainly see where you're coming from in that respect."

"I suppose our families do it with our best interests at heart."

"Hmmm. Not always."

Yuki narrowed her eyes at her seeing this was another one of Rosalie's enigmatic comments. "I suppose you've always had a different family life to mine. What was it like?"

"Well..." She pondered. "Even though we were close together in the sense of living near to each other and seeing one another quite regularly didn't mean that were close in the emotional sense."

"Really? You seem rather close to Erik."

"You don't have to be a confident of Erik to be able to ridicule him." She retorted. "Also I've been more forced to get to know him due to current circumstances rather than anything else."

"That sounds rather harsh."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not saying I don't like him. I'm just saying we're not close in the sense that you probably mean it."

"But you do seem rather loyal to the Laurent family..." Yuki replied tactfully.

Rosalie chuckled. "Loyalty and closeness to ones family are very different things. Loyalty is something you have to do if you want to keep your head in our family."

Yuki gave her an urgent look. "What do you mean?"

She gave him a very calm and relaxed look. "You seem very interested in the Laurent family." She stated.

Yuki blinked and looked away. He tried to hide the guilty look in his eyes as he looked down as if to eat more of his food. He didn't want to give himself away too easily. He knew he was more than interested in the Laurent family. He was almost on the brink of being obsessed by them. It was simply something he couldn't help. He wanted to know what this cousin of his was holding back from him. He couldn't help it. He had to find a way to know what it was and perhaps even help with it if what he suspected was correct. It was only because their parents were twins and he felt they were close than regular cousins. He was possibly closer to Rosalie than her Laurent cousins were.

"Did you know that our parents were cousins?"

"Hm? Yes. I remember my mother telling me that she was a twin at some point. When I asked my father about it a while after she died he told me about you and your family."

"I see. Were you ever curious about meeting us. I know you came to visit when you were very young but even after your mother's death..."

His voice trailed off into silence as he waited for her to answer. He watched her think about her answer. "It was forbidden." She said quietly.

Yuki looked up again with questioning eyes. "What?"

Before she could reply or take back her eyes Rosalie sensed something. Danger. Her eyes widened in panic and she looked around to Erik. She could sense the energy rising up in him quickly and knew that like a speeding train it was going to be difficult to stop. She didn't think about this. She didn't even give any thought to the fact that by using her powers it would enhance his, bring his guard down. As Erik was becoming increasingly relaxed he was bringing his powers more quickly to the surface.

"Erik." She warned in a fearful voice.

Before he could even reply the lights suddenly went out and there was a cry from the kitchen. Rosalie instantly got to her feet and ran to her Nana's aid.

"Nana!"

"I'm fine, dear." The old woman replied cheerfully. "Just a shock. I wonder what caused the blackout."

_I know..._Rosalie thought to herself nervously.

"Ah I see we've had a blackout." William slurred from behind her. He gave her a accusing look from the stairs which she met with frustration.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked when she got back into the living room.

"What was that?" Momiji asked in bewilderment.

"A blackout, Momiji." Kyo replied dryly. "Ever heard of one?"

"I meant how did it happen?"

"Who knows..."

~ (***) ~

Everyone had to be sent home in the end. There were many apologies and inquiries as to how they would get back. Everyone would be fine. Izumi was eventually calmed down despite a little shaken by the sudden blackout. Rosalie really hoped that the child wasn't traumatised. William also took part in this with a little bit of smugness in his manner. He saw this as a victory. That he was right. Rosalie only thought that he must truly be a fool if she was going to back down this easily. If he really thought that this was a sign of her defeat he was gravely mistaken as well as foolish. She closed the door finally waiting for the summoning.

"I think we may all have learnt a valuable lesson from this evening."

Rosalie held onto the door handle with her hand shaking with a great fury she was afraid of throwing herself on top of William and attempting to scratch out his eyes.

"Oh please enlighten us." She retorted still looking towards the door.

William narrowed his eyes at the younger woman. "That bringing outsiders too close is dangerous."

"William this wasn't Rosalie's fault. It was me who lost control." Erik reasoned. "You know that surely."

William raised his eyebrow. "Appreciate your, to be frank, rare attempt at honesty, Erik. However you were not the one who brought this event about."

"Still..."

"I'm still going to make it stand that it is simply too dangerous to let the outside into our world or anywhere close to it." William stated firmly.

"Sometimes its necessary."

Erik and William turned back to Rosalie who was still turned away from those whom she was speaking to. Her voice was so quiet that they had just caught her spoken words in the air.

William raised his eyebrow. "Really? Would you care to tell me how."

"Well our mothers except for Thora's were not of the Laurent family. We always had to bring outsiders into the family in order to allow Yuri's legacy to carry on."

_Then again the mothers are of no importance to Yuri. If they were not of Laurent blood they are expendable. It would be more convenient that they would die in childbirth. _

"You mean the Laurent legacy." William corrected.

Her hand slipped around from the door handle and she turned around slightly and glanced up with a dark look in her eyes.

"No. Yuri's. No one else's." She answered before walking up the stairs. "Saying that it is that of the Laurent's would imply that it is our desire to keep it carrying on to the next generation."

"What you are referring to 'it' is a gift." William called after her sternly.

_That's what you think..._Rosalie thought to herself before enveloping herself into the darkness.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twenty Five

For **chained2love**

_A bunch of old snakeheads down by the pond_

_carrying on the swan tradition - hissing_

_inside their white bodies, raising and lowering their heads_

_like ostriches, regretting only the sad ritual_

_that forced them to waddle back into the water_

_after their life under the rocks, wishing they could lie again_

_in the sun_

_and dream of spreading their terrifying wings;_

_wishing, this time, they could sail through the sky like_

_horses,_

_their tails rigid, their white manes fluttering,_

_their mouths open, their sharp teeth flashing,_

_drops of mercy pouring from their eyes,_

_bolts of wisdom from their foreheads._

_**~ Swan Song, Gerald Stern**_

~ (***) ~

"It's strange isn't it?"

Momiji looked up at the sound of Yuki's voice. There was a hint of speculation and wonder in his voice which could on signify that he was pondering on a serious matter. It was the morning after the blackout incident and Yuki came from to the main house asking if Momiji wanted to go for a walk. He was so excited about hanging out with Yuki didn't notice that it was so out of character for him to do something like this. They walked along the river close to where the main house was. It was peaceful considering the time of day but it was in the early morning when people were just beginning to stir. The perfect time to have a private conversation.

"What do you mean?" Momiji asked.

Yuki sighed. "I mean its pretty strange that they wanted us to leave so urgently last night. They could've still had us round there but William simply decided to have us leave. Almost like they knew why the blackout occurred."

Momiji narrowed his eyes at him. "Aren't you looking into this just a little too much? Blackouts happen all the time."

"Yes. But no one reacts to them like that." Yuki replied.

Momiji scratched his neck contemplatively. "I suppose so. Still...I know you mean, though. There is something about Rosalie..."

Yuki blinked at Momiji. "Huh?"

Momiji shook his head dismissively. "It doesn't matter."

"No. Go on." Yuki said encouragingly. "Personally I think there's something she's hiding from everyone. Particularly about her family. When I asked her about visiting us after her mothers death she said that she was forbidden to come here."

"What? That's crazy. Why would her family do that?"

Yuki took a pebble from the ground and skimmed it across the water. "Precisely. Although you seem to have a special interest in Rosalie..."

Momiji looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's alright." Yuki assured him. "I won't tell anyone. Personally I don't know why you're so ashamed."

"I'm not." Momiji replied.

"Then why so defensive."

"Because I don't know if it can come to anything. She's so distant but so close to me. Well in terms with how we are when we're together...I don't know whether it could lead to anything more than it is now."

Yuki smiled. "If you fight hard enough for it, you can get what you want, Momiji. Just remember that."

~ (***) ~

Rosalie sat on her bed dwelling on the previous nights events and everything which would follow. She closed her eyes and tried to block all these dark thoughts out of her mind but it just made it easier for them to flood into her thoughts. They were glaring at her like flashing neon lights which made it impossible for her to cut them out of her mind. She knew it would all begin like a domino effect. She knew that there was nothing she could do to stop it. It would all come at her so quickly that she wouldn't have the time to hide or jump out of the way of it. She knew that what would happen would be for William to report to Yuri as to what happened the night before. Yuri would see the dangers of their actions and evaluate what to do more to the benefit of the family than the individuals involved. There would be a discussion as to whether it would be wise for them to stay or whether it would be safer for them to return to Venice.

Her first thought of this was that she would lose the battle. That she would have to go back to her cage. Then something occurred to her. Something which she didn't realise she had. She knew that she was stronger and more determined than that. She had made it this far and she knew deep down that there was nothing which could stop her from going forward because she knew there was no other way than forward. People thought they were going backwards or standing still when in reality they were moving forward but just in slow motion. She smiled. She was stronger than she thought if she was beginning to think things like that.

She placed a hand on her heart and thought that up until this point she had always thought that she was carrying the world on her shoulders. That there were too many burdens she had the responsibility to bear from such a young age or even too much for one person. She felt like her heart was breaking with the amount of stress and hardship she had to deal with. Now she had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for this because she had dragged herself through it. It had made her feel like a stronger person. The more adversity a person faces and deals with the more stronger that person will become. That was the lesson she had now learned at this moment and what annoyed her was that it took her this long to realise it.

~ (***) ~

Hatori was leaning over his desk working when he got the knock on his door. When he heard someone at the door he answered the intruder without turning around.

"I'm busy right now, but if you want to make an appointment-"

"I don't have time for this Hatori."

Hatori sat up at the familiar sound of Yuki's voice and smiled grimly. "Yuki." He spun round in his chair and looked across at him coolly. "How are you? Is it something about your health or another matter?"

"You know full well that my health is no longer a concern." Yuki replied.

"It is always a concern of mine." Hatori replied. "But I can make another good guess as to why you are here."

"The Laurents."

Hatori looked away. "That is a bit of a delicate subject."

"Hatori." Yuki said through clenched teeth. "I would really appreciate it if you were being more co-operative for once. Can you just tell me what it is she's hiding?"

Hatori hesitated for a moment. He was thinking about to one of the main principles he was taught in medical which was confidentiality. Something which he had grown to be rather diligent in his early years as a doctor but once Tohru Sohma entered into their lives he slipped by the wayside in that respect. He looked over the medical records which had had obtained from the Laurents for Rosalie considering that he believed that her health really was her concern, being a family member. Perhaps he should tell Yuki. It was something which really shouldn't be kept in the dark from them and it wasn't like they couldn't keep a secret. They had done so fairly well, excluding the special case of Tohru Sohma of course but then again as a result of this the curse was lifted. So it could be considered that there was some benefit from having some confidence in her.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He asked before he would begin.

Yuki narrowed his eyes at him. "I had to live with a curse for the most part of my life. What could possibly be any worse than that?"

Hatori chuckled. "You would be surprised." He glanced over at Yuki. "The Laurent family have a curse of their own."

"But?"

Hatori sighed. "It is much worse than our own. The burden which Rosalie, in particular, has to bare is much worse than the concerns we had with our own."

"I don't understand. Is their curse like the one we had or completely different?"

"It is still a curse but there are benefits and difficulties with it."

Yuki sighed and sat down in the nearest possible place. "Hatori I think it would be easier if you started at the beginning."

~ (***) ~

"Do you think they suspecting anything?" Erik asked as he dangled his legs off the side of the bed. Rosalie was looking out her bedroom window as the sun sunk into the sky.

"What do you mean?" She murmured.

Erik narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm talking about the night before."

Rosalie glanced at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't say. Perhaps. There have been one or two people in the Sohma family who seem a little suspicious of us but I don't think they would draw any conclusions from a blackout."

"You never know." Erik muttered.

Rosalie closed her eyes and tried not to think about it. She didn't like the fact that Erik was bringing it up. She just wanted to worry about her studies at this point in the week. She didn't want to have to think about the possibility of having to leave Japan or being found out. She didn't want to think about which of those two scenarios was more preferable to find herself in. She was just saying that there was nothing to worry about in order to put a brave face on. She also didn't want William to have an excuse to make out that this situation was worse than it actually was. She was even becoming afraid to voice her own thoughts under her own roof. There was really nothing to worry about. Or she hoped so. She knew that Rin, Yuki and Momiji were all suspicious of her. She remembered from a conversation with her when she arrived that Tohru may even be suspecting her of something. Even if it was pretty obvious that she was a bit of an air-head...

"_Hello Rosalie. It's wonderful to see you again!" Tohru greeted cheerfully. Rosalie was a little taken back by this and chuckled nervously._

"_Likewise. I'm grateful that you came. I know it was quite a distance for you to come from."_

_Kyo spoke up this time and almost half glared at Rosalie. "Well you know we wouldn't hear the end of it from anyone else if we didn't come." He grumbled._

_Rosalie was caught between giving him a look or a comeback but she decided to let it slide. She had to save her energies for such things for Erik. She beamed back at Tohru._

"_So how are you?"_

_Tohru tilted her head. "I'm fine. Thank you. How are you? I'm sorry I didn't get to see you before I left. Although...I thought I saw you as we were driving off..."_

_Rosalie froze. "I'm pretty sure I was busy that day. I'm sorry about that."_

_Tohru blinked. "Are you saying this to hide something? It's just when I thought I saw you, you were crying."_

_Rosalie looked away. "I really don't know what you're talking about." She murmured._

_This was a lie. Rosalie was completely aware of what she was talking about. She remembered watching Tohru drive away and it felt like her mother or a part of the person she once was was driving away from her. When she was with Tohru she felt that there was some chance for her to redeem herself. There was something maternal and innocent about Tohru. It was something which couldn't be contaminated but something which could wash away the sins of the blackest of souls. Rosalie felt like this was selfish but she thought that there could be some chance that Tohru could help her with this. It was shameful of her to make such presumptions that someone like Tohru would help her. It required someone with a certain level of strength and she wasn't sure whether Tohru had it in her. No matter how willing she would be to help her._

_Tohru gave her a knowing look and shrugged her shoulders. "Alright." She then walked down the corridor, leaving Rosalie to wonder whether she had done the right thing..._

"Rosalie there's someone at the door to see you." Her Nana said through the door.

Rosalie cast a grateful smile in her direction and glided down the stairs. She turned to the doorway and saw Yuki at the doorway gazing in her direction with a look on his face she couldn't quite make out...

"Yuki? Is everything alright?" She asked pleasantly.

"I know your secret." He replied simply.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twenty-Six

For **Zerokiryulover01**

_Rory: Dean, this whole friend thing with us isn't going to work if we're not honest with each other._

_Dean: I agree._

_Rory: Okay, so, anything you wanna tell me?_

_Dean: Corn's two for a dollar?_

_**~ Swan Song, Gilmore Girl**_

~ (***) ~

She had prayed that this day would never come, but it had. She never thought that it would come to this, but it had. Rosalie didn't know what it would be like for an outsider and how they would see things with regards to their curse. They would of course have questions about its functions and the upsides and downsides. The only problem with Rosalie is that she was still within the stages of not seeing it as a gift but as a curse. She knew one day with a little more control that she would see it as a bit of both. But she wasn't ready to really give a fair testament since she saw it only solely as a curse. It was very seldom that she was able to use it for good. Now she had to face her greatest fear in the face with the most important thing being how she was going to deal with it. Was she going to deny it? Beg him not to tell anyone? Or take this as an opportunity to reveal the deeper secrets to the one he already knew. With this secret, which separated it from all others was that, there were secrets within it. She didn't know whether she was afraid or relieved. This was a moment she hadn't prepared herself for because she always thought that when she it would come it would be on her own terms.

Yuki stared at her wondering when she was going to say something. Surely she had something to say about it? She must have questions about how he found out. Whether she wanted to talk to him about it. No one would just stand there and say nothing about it. Now that he knew what she had been hiding her could now understand at least on the surface that she needed to say something. He knew there would be more to what Hatori had told him about it and that there going to be even worse details once she would begin to talk about it. She was going to talk about it. He wasn't going to leave until she would discuss it. Not after what happened to her mother. She knew all of this was connected to the pain she had to endure for all these years. He didn't believe the story Hatori told him at first but he was never one to make up such things. There must be a reason why he told Yuki as well. Yuki knew there was more to all this than the general details Hatori had been told.

"I think you should come in." She said finally.

Yuki blinked at this reaction and nodded. She stepped out the way and he stepped in meekly, taking off his shoes. He removed his coat and scarf carefully and hung them up.

"Would you like anything to drink?" She asked politely.

"Um-"

"Don't worry, dear." They both jumped at the sudden appearance of Nana. "I was about to make some tea. I'll bring some through."

Rosalie nodded silently to her and turned back to Yuki after she disappeared into the kitchen. "I suppose you came at a good time to ask me about it. William's out for a few hours. It would be best if he didn't know that you knew about all this. Although I am happy to answer any questions you have about the curse."

Yuki narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Thank you."

She held out her arm to offer to sit down in the living room. They wordlessly walked into the next room and sat down.

"Although I find it interesting that you call it a curse."

She looked up with a grave look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Well I don't know if you were ever told but the Sohma family had a curse of their own. It would only lifted quite recently. Whenever a member of the family who was possessed my an animal in the zodiac was hugged by a member of the opposite sex they would transform into that animal. Or when experiencing high levels of stress. Even the cat was included."

She blinked. "I see. Which animal were you, if I may ask?"

"I was the rat. If you're wondering the curse was lifted because the cat needed to find someone that they loved to be love them back. Thankfully Kyo was able to achieve that."

"Tohru?"

"Precisely."

She smiled. "Unfortunately there is no way of lifting our curse."

He smiled yet again. "Like I said I find it strange that you call it curse, when it is anything but in relation to ours. It's more being gifted with abilities which are passed from generation to generation."

She scoffed. "That is what some people call it. A gift. Although in the experience of my own 'ability' I have brought death rather than life."

Yuki's eyes widened but remained calm. "So tell me about it."

She sighed. "You could call us elementals. However there aren't just fire, water, air and earth. There is also ice, electric, weather and energy or life as you could simply call the last one for lack of a better term."

"Wouldn't ice and electric go into a lot of the other elements?"

She nodded. "Yes. But like I said it's much more complicated than it would seem. So basically a child of someone with the gift of fire will obtain that ability. It is always the first born with their main task being to master it and put it to use. If it could be of any use or benefit in this world. Some I find questionable to be used to any good end."

"So what elements do William and Erik have?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Can you not guess from Erik?"

"I'm guessing it had something to do with the blackout."

"Keep going." She replied encouragingly.

"Electricity."

"And William?"

She chuckled. "Also another easy one. Or relatively obvious one, only when it comes to his personality."

"Ice."

"You would be very good with puzzles."

Yuki looked at her and saw that there was the same distant, clouded expression in her eyes which he was sure he had whenever he would discuss the curse with Tohru three to five years ago. It was almost like he was looking at himself. Maybe there was more than their eye colour that he and Rosalie shared. He was even beginning to wonder whether she had experienced the same treatment he had from the head of the Laurent family. It was very strange now that it was no longer a part of his life. It was even stranger to be on the receiving end of it now rather than the other way round. This was all different for him. He could see there was something's about it all that she would reluctant to discuss right now but he hoped in time she would be able to be more open with him. He could understand how it could be difficult to talk about all these things after being sworn to silence for so long. Most of all he hoped that soon she would discuss this with Momiji. He felt almost like he was betraying him as he sat there talking to her about all this. He felt like Momiji should be here in his place considering his feelings towards her.

He was happy for Momiji that he had found someone to love and he could see that it was something that Rosalie would need. So if all went well then all problems would be solved. Although since he was never a match-maker and never would be he decided to stay out of it. He would also have to make a mental note as to never mention this to Ayame either. He had no idea and didn't want to accumulate one as to the results of his interference. He couldn't imagine that Rosalie's reaction to them being at all pleasant either. Also with regards to her situation it would be best left to the two persons involved. He doubted that she had that much experience with concerns to relationships. So having outside interference wouldn't help. He hoped that Momiji's attraction to her would be returned. He was still finding it difficult as to why he was attracted to her though. He wasn't saying that there anything wrong with Rosalie. She was a perfectly nice and pleasant person. But he would never put them together. Momiji was fair, laid-back, flamboyant and relaxed. Whereas Rosalie was dark, serious, intense and aloof. Then again opposites can attract and there was Kyo and Tohru to consider.

"I must ask you." She said quietly. "Not to speak of this to anyone. Please. You can't imagine what would happen if this became well known-"

Yuki held up a hand. "I understand. Although I still think eventually the whole of the Sohma family will need to be aware of the situation. You are a Sohma after all. Even if it isn't your legal name. Considering we were under a curse of our own for generations lack of understanding wouldn't be an issue."

She was silent for a minute or so. "I hoped that none of you would have to know. Perhaps just..."

"Who?"

She looked up and shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. Remember I have been in your position before, so anything you say or do will be something I will have experienced. Maybe not exactly but its important that you talk about it."

"So you want to know specifically which family member I was the closest to considering to talking about it? Even though it's quite a personal issue?"

"Yes."

She raised her eye brow and cocked her head to the side momentarily. "Momiji."

"Why Momiji?"

"You seem very interested in why I would want to talk to Momiji about this? Is it just the fact that you weren't the first person that came to mind?"

"Well I would like to know that I would be someone you have confidence in but that isn't my concern. I would just like to know why."

"The reasons are personal. They are things I would much rather speak to him about than you. No offence."

Yuki shrugged his shoulders. "Very well. I guess I will go onto the next question."

He was about to continue but this was the moment when her Nana finally came into the room with the tea.

"Here you are, my dears."

Yuki and Rosalie muttered their thank you's and waited silently until she left the room. "So?"

"What is your gift and why do you see this as a curse?"

"Energy. Or life. Whatever you want to call it. In some ways I have all the abilities since energy can be found to some extent in all the other elements. Although...Energy can also be concerned with life force. Going into the topic as to why I see it as a curse."

"So...?"

"I killed someone as a result of my 'gift'." She replied straight-forwardly.

The words felt like a blade to the heart when Yuki heard them. They were so shocking because she answered them so honestly. It was almost too easy for her to say. Or was it because she was desperate to get them off her chest? He was sure that if he was responsible for someone's death he couldn't imagine being about to carry it to his grave. He would at least admit to his sin on his death bed. It was something which was cruel to share with another person but it was necessary in order to pass on to the next life. He looked up into her eyes which were cast downwards. He wasn't sure. He had a feeling she wasn't either. He knew what was going to come now. He knew what he was about to discover. In some ways it was one other thing he wanted to find out as well. It was something which had always bothered him and really as Rosalie's mother was a Sohma it bothered the family as well despite the fact they knew very little of her death. It was something which had been shrouded in mystery for so many years. Something which had been dismissed with a simple explanation.

It was insulting. When he thought about it, he began saw Josef Laurent as someone who was rather cruel. Knowing now that he must've been completely aware of the fact that he had a curse he couldn't throw away but brought Yoshiko Sohma into his life and world was something which shouldn't have been pursued as quickly as it was. The same could be said about Tohru but she was more persistent into entering into their world rather than being dragged into it. It could even be argued that some people wanted to push her out of it. So it would impossible to draw comparisons. But surely he had a moment of hesitation with knowing what he was dragging her into? There must've been at least that amount of morality in a man he had never met. He glanced across the table at his daughter and was sure that there was.

Then again this must've been why he was able to find a companion in Yoshiko. As a Sohma she wasn't new to the concept of a family being oppressed by a curse. You could almost see it as taking advantage of her kindness and understanding. She had to be the one in his fathers earlier years to comfort him in the fact that he had to bare such a curse. She was the only one who could embrace him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. That life didn't always have to be this hard. Yoshiko was the only one whom his father loved that could embrace him without any fear. After she left he was unsure as to what to do with himself and when she had died he remembered him crawling back into himself. He began to remain distant from others and eventually died over a year after she had passed away. It was like there was an invisible connection between them and once the connection was cut the other had very little life to live on.

"How did she die?" He asked quietly.

Her back went stiff and looked like she was going to attempt to change the subject, but they both knew that there was no turning back now. They had both gone too far.

"We all told you she fell down the stairs." She began. Yuki nodded to confirm this. "Well...you could say that was what happened but it would be more accurate to say that it was more a white lie with regards to the cause of her death."

"Was it something to do with your ability?"

She nodded. "I reached out to hold her hand to walk down the stairs with her and suddenly she went cold. I don't think I knew what I was doing but what must've happen was...that I sucked the life energy out of her. That is why I see my gift as a curse. I have always taken life not given in. I have..." She turned away and wiped away the tears which were now drenching her face.

Yuki watched her silently and shook his head. "It's not your fault. You were a child which lacked control of the gift you were given. Whoever thought to blame you for this is either cruel or lacking in understanding."

Rosalie eyes widened at these words but was still turned away from the one person who was now offering her redemption. The one who was giving her a small chance to walk through that tiny crack in the door.

"No...No one has ever said that to me. I have always been given pitiful glances over the years or been simply blamed for the incident but no one who has known the full details..."

"How can I blame you for something you didn't mean to do?" Yuki asked reasonably. "Who was the one who put it inside your head that you can't be absolved from blame?"

She sniffed. "I..." She smiled. "I came here for a release. To find a way to redeem myself. I hoped that if I escaped the clutches of the family that I could one day be forgiven for what I had done. Looks like for the first time in my life, the time when I made my own decisions, I did the right thing."

Yuki smiled. "See? We're not so bad once you get to know us."

She looked over to him with a warmer expression in her eyes. "I always knew that the Sohma family were my real family. What I mean by that are people who are willing to give me comfort. That want to help me get through the dark times in my life. The Laurent family were never like that. We were kept close together but we were never close."

"You can be close to us now." He assured her.

"I always was. My mother was the closest person to me, even after her death. I've clung onto her for so many years with the single photo I have of her..."

"I thought they were all destroyed?"

She hesitated. "All except one."

They heard the do go which she jumped at and turned to Yuki with a panicked expression on her face.

"It's best if you go now." She whispered. "I'm sorry. I don't want to imagine..."

Yuki nodded. "Don't keep it too long...In telling Momiji. He needs to know."

She nodded wordlessly and allowed Yuki to find his own way to the door. She stood in the living room feeling empty as she waited for the sound of the door closing. She finally did it. She finally made the ultimate act of defiance. She had finally told an outsider their secret. Instead of fear, she was experiencing a great sense of release. She didn't have to be burdened by it anymore. It was cruel but undeniable.

"What did Yuki Sohma want?"

Erik.

"He came to talk to me." She replied.

Erik strolled into the living room. "Obviously. But what about?"

She gazed across at him and knew that it would be best if she told Erik now. She now felt like she could confide in him about such things and it would be a betrayal to either lie or abstain from telling the truth.

"He knows."

Erik raised his eyebrow with the same casual expression on his face. "You told him? That's plucky."

"No. He already knew. He just came to find out the fine details of it all."

He chuckled. "Still. That's rather brave of you, Rosalie. But also very foolish."

She shrugged her shoulder. "Well...I guess its better to be a fool than a prisoner. I'm not going to bother to tell William. Hatori will probably be telling him now of the situation."

"Probably." Erik agreed. "Although its funny...We've kept this secret for centuries under lock and key and now that we come here...It seems to be flooding out as quickly as a crumbling dam."


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/N: **Just before you start reading this and thinking 'what's going on? Where's Rosalie and everyone?' I decided to introduce another Laurent character. Hopefully you might recognise the name from previous chapters and I'm sure you can figure out that he will be quite a prominent character for the rest of 'Swan Song'. I also hope that you enjoyed the previous chapter, considering that I've _**finally **_revealed what the 'curse' of the Laurent family is. Anyway, I'll stop babbling and let you get to it.

Remember R&R!

Chapter Twenty Seven

For **PeaceLightVictory**

It had gone on for long enough now. There was no denying it. He had to follow her now. He had to bring her back home. Or at least stop her from drawing herself too far away from their world and resorting to finding a place in the outside. They were never meant to mingle amongst the likes of others. They were too inferior and the Laurent's were too dangerous. It would be like lions living amongst lambs. As he stood in the darkened gallery room and stared at her painting which was only a few years old, capturing her eighteen-year-old self, Faron knew he had to follow her now. Even a as young woman she was still beautiful. Very few girls that age reached a high level of beauty. Her violet eyes were intense and alluring. Her dark, thick hair curled around itself like ivys crawling down a wall. He couldn't deny the fact that he was always supposed to follow her. She was the stronger one. She was the one who would always be the superior. Although he believed blindly that he still had a chance. It was all he had to hope for. It was ridiculous in the eyes of other that he pursued her. The others told him that she was too distance and distrustful to be able to even consider

being with him. They were also too closely related for it even to be accepted.

Still he wasn't going to give up. Even though he had been quiet in his pursuit and even rarely approached her. He wasn't going to deny the fact that he was the one to bring her home. In a way he was still serving Yuri. The one who he was undeniably bound to. He was chosen at birth to be the one to serve Yuri and no one else. He just helped Rosalie in quiet and unnoticed ways. Even ways that Yuri could not detect or see. He knew the pain which she had to endure. He had taken lives with his own gift. They were both potentially equal in their capabilities of destruction and power. She would always be above him though. That wasn't the sting. It just lowered the chances of him being able to be with her. So he would only watch over her and love her from a distance. He would be able to have that. He couldn't be denied to love her, he would just never be able to show or express it with her. He probably could never let her be aware of his love for her. It also pained Yuri even more that Rosalie didn't want to be equally obedient as Faron. That was why Yuri punished her so much. Because she was disobedient. She was unafraid of the blows and strikes. She had built an armour around herself now. She was able to tolerate those moments of torture.

"I think that is a particularly beautiful portrait myself." Said a hauntingly familiar voice from the darkness.

Without turning round he nodded curtly. "Yes."

"So you are clear with what you are expected to do in Japan?" The voice inquired in a calculating voice.

He nodded obediently. "Yes. I must watch over Rosalie. Make sure she doesn't step out of line."

There was a sound which suggested that the speaker was satisfied with this and began to walk away but stopped at the door.

"And Faron, I would appreciate it even more if you could try to convince her to come back to Venice. I think this decision of hers- Personally, was made on a whim."

Faron turned away and narrowed his eyes. "If I may ask, what do you mean?"

"She made a rash decision. That is what I mean. Also I think she made this decision because she wanted to get away from me. Something which I consider to be rather cruel...considering all that I have done for her. I never told anyone this but I do care for the girl...I worry about the influence the Sohma's may have on her..."

"Do you know them very well?"

"More than you know."

Then Yuri left the room, leaving Faron only to ponder what could be meant by those final words. That was what he was always left with when it came to Yuri. Just words. Just orders. That was all there was to Yuri and their relationship. They were never close despite the fact they were cousins but then again that was how it was amongst everyone in the Laurent family. Everything Yuri had to say to people were always sparse but had an underlying meaning. Sometimes there was the implication that there was something more to Yuri's words. The knowledge Yuri had about everything, every small detail which surrounded this family was vast. If Yuri wanted you to know the hidden of the allusive words there would be a clue. If not they were beyond any means of deciphering. Sometimes Faron wondered why someone should know so much about such things.

Although at head of the Laurent family, Yuri had to know these things. There would come a time when Faron would be made aware of them too. Although since he was still only twenty-three he was still probably considered to be too young to know of such things as of yet. He was glad of this in some ways and never considered it to be a sign of mistrust in himself or his abilities. Even though this may actually be the case. There was a part of him which was rather grateful of this fact because he knew there were probably many things that he didn't want to know about the Laurent family. There were more murky, dark secrets in the family than the mafia. There were probably some things about the past generations and their own misdeeds which he should be absolved from finding out about, for the sake of his own mental well-being that is.

~ (***) ~

Faron knocked on Hilda's door. "Are you ready?"

A woman in her mid-twenties with golden brown skin and bright brown eyes wheeled her suitcase out of the door and turned her eyes up to Faron's.

"I'm ready. The question are you?"

Faron turned away and sighed. "Sometimes I don't know what you mean by half the things that you say Hilda."

"I mean are you ready to face her again? I know that you have unrequited feelings for the girl...I'm just wondering if you can control yourself." She replied in a rather malicious manner.

Faron turned away from her. He didn't know why he chose to come with her in the first place. He should've told Yuri that it was unwise for her to accompany him but there was no going back on it now. He knew her motives for coming with him. She wanted to cause more trouble within the confines of the Laurent family. As she always did. Whenever he thought about Hilda he could see now why Rosalie wanted to get away from it all.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't pursue this subject any further."

Hilda chuckled. "What else are we going to discuss on the long flight to Tokyo?"

~ (***) ~

"THEY'RE WHAT?" Rosalie screamed.

William was casually drinking his morning coffee without spilling and didn't even glance up when Rosalie cried out.

"Rosalie don't be all over-the-top about this. You have no objections to Erik and I being here in Japan. What harm is there in Faron and Hilda being here?"

"One. I do have objections to you both being here but I have to acknowledge the fact that I have no say in the matter despite the fact that I am a grown, legal adult but no matter. Second, do you really think its wise that _those two _in particular were coming here?"

Erik who was sitting on the side held up a hand. "I have to admit I'm with Rosa on this one."

He said timidly remembering the time when Faron dangled him from a window. Also Hilda wasn't exactly a safe person to have around either.

"Alright. What objections do you have to Faron and Hilda in particular being here?"

Rosalie waved an offering hand in Erik's direction. "I don't think its necessary for me to explain this. Erik would you do the honours?"

"Okay." He began. "First off, we know why you're bring Faron aka Yuri sending Faron here. He's Yuri's right hand man. You just need reinforcements to keep an eye on us."

"You're jumping to conclusions. Besides we all know why you have an affliction with Faron." He pointed out knowingly.

Erik moved on quickly. "Then there's Hilda. She makes Sarah Palin look like a homey, cuddly aunt. She's bitchier than a 1950s suburban housewife."

"I think you put those rather well." Rosalie observed.

"Thank you."

"Well I am sorry but you are going to have to put your differences aside since they are currently on a plane here and last I checked planes can't just turn around for two passengers on special request."

Rosalie blinked at him. "You decided to tell us now?"

"So that you wouldn't have a say in the matter." William replied as he walked out the room, with a slight chuckle in his voice.

Erik banged his head against the table and muttered to himself. "This is going to end poorly."

"No kidding." Rosalie replied.

"When do you think they're going to be here?"

"Probably in the next couple of hours considering this is the Laurent family. They're all about last minute announcements."

"Quite." Erik agreed.

"I'm going out. I'm not waiting here for them to arrive. I don't want to be on welcoming duty considering who the new arrivals are going to be."

"I'm in." Erik said getting to his feet. He followed Rosalie's lead and grabbed his coat and slipped on his shoes before running out the front door.

~ (***) ~

The jet lag was amazing. Faron was used to that kind of thing but Hilda was not faring well with it at all. She was living in Italy for goodness sake she never really needed to take a plane. Only when she went to Spain but that was easily a one or two hour journey.

"I am going straight to bed when we get there." She moaned.

"You don't want to greet the cousins?" Faron inquired.

She glanced across at him. "I know there's one in particular that you may wish to speak to." She muttered sliding on her glasses.

He looked away dismissively. _What happened to not talking about that...?_

"We're here, sir." Said the driver. Faron glanced out the window and saw that William was standing

their diligently and like the ever waiting guardian.

"Thank you." He replied and climbed out the car. He held out a hand to William and clasped him in the family handshake which was holding onto his upper arm but not past the elbow.

"William."

"Faron." He replied curtly. He turned to Hilda and raised his eyebrow.

"Will you need anything, Hilda?"

"Yes." She grumbled walking into the house.

William turned back to Faron. "Is there anything Yuri wanted to pass on?"

"Just to inquire as to how Erik and Rosalie are settling in."

William looked away. "Surprisingly well. If Yuri wants them to return to Venice it won't be easy. I think they mean to stay here."

"That won't please Yuri."

"No." He glanced up. "Ah. Here they are."

Faron followed William's gaze and saw Rosalie and Erik side by side walking towards them. It was strange to see them together. They never got along and could only imagine Rosalie trying to ditch him but the two seemed engaged in quite a serious conversation. They both glanced up with a look of suspicion in their eyes and nodded to Faron in acknowledgement before turning back to their conversation again. They were right to be suspicious of course but it still hurt. Or at least from Rosalie that is. Why was she talking to Erik? In the time that she had been away had she grown close to him? No. She would never succumb to such a person. She was above such people. He wasn't bothered about Erik. He never liked the libertine of the family but then again that was the one to be dubbed as the unliked one. He could never understand how someone could be so fickle with their emotions and feelings. He never acted upon his own but he would never change them so frequently. How they could move from one person to another. He could never do that when it came to Rosalie. She was one to be loved permanently. She was one which could never change or her love for her. Although he didn't know whether this was just him.

He turned back to her and was drawn to her thick lips. She could see that there was a smile on her lips as she talked to him. He had even thought on some lonely night about what he would do if he could capture those lips. These possibilities could only be acted out in dreams though. Never reality. She would never let him have the chance for that to become a reality. It made his heart ache as well as making him wish that she would smile when she talked to him but she only regarded him with suspicion because of his alligences? Why did she have to see Yuri as the enemy? He could remember the tears that she shed when the blows and the strikes still stung and he had to fight as hard as he could to not embrace her and share her tears. That was why she resented him also and there was some regret inside his heart because of this.

She nodded to him as she walked past and into the house. "Faron."

Erik ran alongside her avoiding his gaze. He was glad at least one of them would be obedient in his time here.

He turned to William. "I'll go settle myself in."

He walked up the stairs thinking that the Japanese way of living, considering the small, encapsulated way of living seemed to be more ideal with the sort of life the Laurents would wish to lead. Why would Yuri be so opposed to such a place? It was something which he could never put his finger on. He opened the door and looked around the space her had and nodded as if to say that it was enough. He had a desk, a place to store his clothes, a beside lamp and table. It was enough. He just hoped there would be no complaints from Hilda. She was more the one to live a life of space, vastness and luxury. More was more with her. That wasn't the case was Rosalie. What was in plain sight and in comparison to Hilda, very little was enough. Nothing material. He sank down on his bed with forbidden tears rolling down his cheeks.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Twenty-Eight

For **Corrupted Justice**

_Rory: Okay, what's the packing crisis?_

_Lorelai: That's the thing. I have no packing crisis. For the first time in my life, there is no packing crisis. See? This has never happened to me before. I'm all packed, ready to go, and fully confident that I have everything I'll need or desire._

_Rory: So you're creating a crisis out of nostalgia?_

_**~ Swan Song, Gilmore Girls**_

~ (***) ~

Arisa woke up that morning wondering if she was supposed to be feeling any different. The only reason why she was questioning this was because this was the day when all things would change. She shouldn't have done it but then again she was going to find out eventually. This was something which couldn't go on for long without being noticed. For years she had put it off. For years she had laughed at the concept of this ever happening to her. She placed a hand on her stomach and thought about the little life which was slowly growing inside her. She sighed and threw herself back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea what or how she was going to tell Kureno. She glanced at him and saw that he was still asleep. He had arm dragged on her stomach affectionately, not knowing that his child was inside.

She felt like a rock was resting on her chest. She couldn't breathe and she was beginning to drown in her sweat. She sat up finally and swung her legs out of bed. She couldn't bare to be around Kureno. Without him knowing about it she felt like a liar. She felt like she didn't belong or deserve to be by his side. Over the years he could so easily disclose his inner-most secrets and she couldn't even bring herself to tell him about something such as this. She could tell him at any time. She could've told him at any time during that evening but she didn't. She had so many opportunities to tell him. It wasn't a minor thing. She had to give herself that. She was just afraid of the fact that everything was going to change.

~ (***) ~

Rosalie heard a knock at the door and cautiously answered. "Who is it?"

"Erik."

She breathed a sigh of relief and replied. "Come in."

Erik opened the door and closed it behind him swiftly. "So. What are we going to do?"

She got off her bed and moved to her desk to start writing out the essay due in the next week. She supposed she better start doing things ahead of time so she had no reason to panic or do things last minute.

"What do you mean?"

He gave her a look. "About Faron and Hilda. You what this is, Rosa. It's a message. A warning from Yuri."

She considered this and slowly turned around in her chair. "You think I don't know that?"

"Then why did you ask me what I meant?"

"Because there are many ways you could interpret 'dealing' with a situation such as this." She replied. "What part of the situation do you want to deal with?"

Erik folded his arms. "Well all of it."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and turned away. She was only going to have this conversation with him once he rationalised his thoughts and stopped panicking about the situation. Sometimes Erik could be such a drama queen. He wanted to make out things were worse than they actually were. While Rosalie just had a no-bullshit attitude. If someone asked her a question about the situation of something or about anything in general she gave them a simple, truthful answer. No matter how extreme it would be she would still be truthful about it. To a certain extent. She may intentionally leave out some minor details but only for obvious reasons. She also wanted to get the essay done. Like she said. She didn't want to have to do things last minute. She had had experience from doing so in her first degree she wasn't going to repeat that mistake. That was a degree rife with doing essays deep into the night and being fuelled by caffeine deep into two o'clock in the morning. The only thing she had to say to that was no thank you.

He was only behaving this way because he was at odds with Faron and always would be. Then again she didn't blame him. Faron did hang him out of a window by his ankles. He felt safe here in Japan not only from the oppressive rule of Yuri but also from the murderous clutches of Faron. A few months ago she didn't blame him for hanging him out of a window, despite his usual calm demeanour. Now she could see how it could be considered a bit of an overreaction. Whatever it was that he did she was sure he didn't deserve it entirely. He was always a bit of an idiot but she was sure there was nothing Erik could do which could lead to him deserving to having his life threatened in that manner.

There was of course the other problem of Hilda. Hilda was going to be a **huge** problem. She was probably someone to be more concerned about than Faron. She was the sort of person who didn't know how to keep her mouth shut. Sure she hadn't told anyone about the secret, then again it was probably going to happen sooner or later. She was surprised Yuri was so worried about her letting the cat out of the bag when there was Hilda to consider. She was the most flippant and careless person she knew. She would probably end up dropping fifty or a hundred euros and she still wouldn't care. That also just showed how selfish she was. Sometimes she just wanted to smack her around the head. Although she knew then that would result in a cat fight. Not a good thing to get into with Hilda. Even though Rosalie would probably win. Still, not a good idea.

"You have thought about the issue of Hilda as well, hopefully." She commented.

Erik froze over. "Oh yeah...She's not going to be able to keep her mouth shut about anything is she?"

"Well...it just depends on what she decides to blab about."

"She's probably claim that I have STDs or something." He muttered. Rosalie gave him a suspicious look. "Wha- I don't!"

"Alright." She replied. She spun round back to the computor. "Still...I think we should be more concerned about her rather than anyone else. I mean there has to be some reason why she came and I think we know what that is. She didn't exactly come here for the the same reasons as us."

"Um, no."

"Yuri certainly wouldn't have asked her to come. Although..." She re-considered this for a moment. "No. Yuri probably wouldn't stoop that low."

Erik chuckled. "No."

~ (***) ~

Arisa was making breakfast when Kureno finally got up. He could smell bacon and eggs from the bedroom drifting from the kitchen. It calmed her down doing housework, strangely enough and it gave Kureno a sense of normality which he had been deprived of when he was growing up. The sizzle of the frying had a calming affect on him and made him feel like he was being cocooned in a sense of security of their own little world. He liked the usual routine which they had. They would have breakfast and sit to the table, discussing what they were going to do or whether Arisa had got any calls while he was still sleeping. Then they would wash and get dressed for their morning walk. Kureno was never allowed outside the main house so he had a life where he was always confined within its walls. So he took this chance to be able to venture out into the world as much as possible. Arisa never had an objections to doing so. She liked walking. She liked the feeling of having her hand in his. It made her feel safe.

Arisa put the food out on the plates wondering what was going to happen to their usual routine now. Everything was going to be so different now. She probably going to come to the point in the pregnancy where it would be best for her not to do any of the cooking. Just for safety's sake. If this going to be the case she was going to try to wait it out for as long as she possible could. She was sure she could leave it until the last month of pregnancy when she didn't have to cook. But their routine...What if they didn't have time and they would have to go to some appointment or check up? What about when the child was born? What then? All these things were going to change everything and it was all because of one little person. It was amazing how a baby could turn someone's life upside down. She put the plates on the table thinking she certainly wasn't going to be having any problems with cooking for the child.

House-keeping was a skill she had actually became accustomed to over the years. Usually she was totally against doing something like that due to her feminist principles but once Kureno showed her how to cook she saw how easy it was and began to experiment. She soon came to the point when she began to make up her own variations of recipes in cookbooks and was able to give Kureno even the smallest of surprises when it came to meals. In fact it came to the point where he was forbidden to enter the kitchen unless making a coffee. If she was going to have any control in the household it was going to be over the food. He even joked at some point that she should do it professionally. She actually considered what it would be like to order a few people around a kitchen in a restaurant and could actually see herself doing it. Although soon her feminist principles intervened and told her no.

"So..." Kureno began as he walked in. "What's on today?"

Arisa was being unusually hesitant and left her mouth agape. _I don't know...Perhaps telling you at some point that you're going to be a father but you know...Any time in the near future is fine..._She

thought to herself.

"Um...I actually don't have to do anything. I have the day off. I was thinking of perhaps...um..."

Kureno frowned at her as he chewed on his bacon. "Arisa is everything alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I didn't get that much sleep last night. I guess its a good thing I don't have work today."

Kureno reached over to the other side of the table and took her hand. "You should've stayed in a bed a little longer. Slept in."

She smirked and shook her head. "You know I'm completely incapable of being able to do that."

Kureno returned the smile. "This is true."

She toyed with a food a little. "We're still going on our walk aren't we? Before you go to work?"

He frowned and nodded. "Of course. We always do. Why did you have to ask?"

She pulled a funny face as if to say stupid-me and laughed. "I don't know."

_Yes you do, _she thought to herself. _You're scared that everything's changed before you've even told him the truth. You know now that everything is changing and there's nothing you can do to stop it._

"So. What do you want tonight? For dinner?"

He smiled. "Surprise me."

She glanced across at him and smiled uncertainly. _I'm so sorry..._


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/S: **Hey guys! I haven't seen you in a while. I am reaaaaaaaaaallly sorry. I had another story I was running quite smoothly with but I can assure you I am now back with this one for real-sies...Sorry about that. Also I am at university now and at the moment one of my modules is named 'Shakespeare and his Contemporaries' so you can guess what that means...And at university level it also means that I have to read a play a week. Along with doing another two modules. Anyway I hope you forgive me and I hope you enjoy this chapter after a VERY long wait.

Chapter Twenty Nine

For **Space1998**

_Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,_

_Where nothing save the waves and I_

_May hear our mutual murmurs sweep;_

_There, swan-like, let me sing and die._

_**~ Lord Byron, Don Juan (1818-24), Canto III, Stanza 86. 16.**_

_'Let music sound while he doth make this choice._

_Then if he lose he makes a swanlike end,_

_Fading in music.' _

_**~ The Merchant of Venice, 3.2.43-5**_

~ (***) ~

_Surely he knew? Surely he must have noticed...?_

Arisa looked up at Kureno a split second later after this thought and saw that he was happily eating his meal with a blissful expression on his face. She tried to convince herself as she was watching him that this was all it was going to be if they did get married one day. That if it was like this she would find it bareable. It was that void, that emptiness which she feared experiencing in a marriage which put her off the idea altogether once upon a time. However one day she met a clumsy, clueless 'young' man at work and 'fell' in love with him, strangely enough because his helpless behaviour reminded her of Tohru. When she first met him he was so solemn and serious, even when he was bewildered and ridiculous. It was something that she liked about him. He could still remain calm even when he had no clue about what he was trying to do.

She could remember the first time they had met and she always looked back at that memory in amusement because of the helpless part of his nature which he displayed that day. When she was with him she felt safe. So safe that she could admit to being helpless before when she was too ashamed to admit to it. But then there were times when she could look after him too. She liked the two-way street nature to their relationship. There was no one depending upon the other. There was no one feeling they were being a burden upon the other person. It was like they were walking down an abandoned road, hand in hand freely, with ease and without a care in the world. They both felt safe together just as long as they were holding one another's hands.

She knew now it was because he had never ventured out into the outside world and had led such a sheltered childhood that he didn't even know how to shop let alone how to navigate around a supermarket. She could understand, now looking back in hindsight, why he looked so much like a child. He had that premature wonder as he was walking around that unfamiliar realm. She could also remember that he looked a little bit frightened like a child would do in an unfamiliar environment. Perhaps that was why she loved him so much, because she liked to be able to look after people and with him she knew he wouldn't mind her being there for him when he needed help. But as she recalled that memory of him being so clueless it reminded her of the present predicament she was facing.

She slowly and careful placed her hand on her stomach thinking of the premature infant resting in where she laid her hand, wondering if she would be able to feel it stir. If she would be able to hear it calling out to her in the dark. When she looked up once again and saw that he was so happy, it made her feel even more guilty. Perhaps there would be no reason for her to be hiding this from him. She had no reason to question or fear whether he would be a good father. She didn't even need to spend a moment debating upon that subject. The only problem she was facing at that moment in time was whether _she_ would be able to be a good mother. She was never the sensitive type. All mothers had to be sensitive. She had enough experience from watching all the mothers and children coming and going where she worked to see to some degree that all of them were sensitive. She was more than certain she wasn't even going to be able to fain sensitivity. She was an overprotective friend which she could admit to being a similar trait a mother would have. Perhaps she could bring that into play.

What else? She cared passionately about those she loved. That was something a mother was supposed to do wasn't it? She would be able to teach the child to fight. Whether it was a boy or girl...Perhaps she would have a child like Tohru? That was what happened to the infamous 'Red Butterfly' wasn't it? She became a mother. She was once someone that was so feared in the neighbourhood most of the time no one touched her. She had her fights, yes. Many fights, that's what made her so famous but no one dared touch her in the way of damaging her reputation. No one dared even question it until she left. One day she disappeared, almost as if she was actually a myth that was invented by childish fairy-tales. However Arisa knew that she was very real. It was love which beckoned her into a different life. Just like herself.

"Arisa-chan are you alright?" Arisa looked up with a startled look on her face. "You were miles away a moment ago."

She gave him a weak smile. "I was just thinking about someone I knew...Long ago."

"What happened?" He asked before taking another bite of his dinner.

"She died." She replied finally.

Kureno cast her eyes downwards at his plate and was quiet for a while. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright. It wasn't nearly as bad for me as it was for Tohru."

Kureno blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? Was this someone you, Tohru and Hana were friends with?"

Arisa smiled a little. "It was Tohru's mother."

"Oh...Yes, I heard about that. I heard she was a lovely, warm person considering the way Tohru talked about her."

Arisa nodded. "She was. It was almost like she was a mother to us all. She wasn't always like that. Once she was like I once was before I met Tohru. Violent, angry, lonely...All she wanted was to be acknowledged by someone...just to know that she actually mattered to someone. Then she met Tohru's Dad who was a number of years older than her," She added delicately.

Kureno chuckled. "I am a number of years older than you are, Sweetheart."

"The age difference between us two wasn't nearly as vast as the one between Tohru's parents." She commented dryly. "Anyway...It was just so...astounding that someone like her was able to become such a loving person. It was amazing and I just don't know..."

"You don't know what?" Kureno asked after Arisa had been silent for a few minutes.

She looked up as was about to say something but she wasn't able to find the right words. She just couldn't bring herself to tell him.

"Arisa what is it?"

~ (***) ~

There had only been one photo Momiji had seen of Rosalie's mother. He had a handful of memories of Yoshiko Sohma but he had only ever seen one photo of her. It was one where she was standing by the seaside watching the oceans waves with her hair blowing wildly in the sea wind. The only reason why Momiji was thinking about this as he was walking towards the house was not only because it was the only picture he could remember seeing of Yoshiko Sohma but also because it was probably the only moment when he could see mother and daughter finally meeting together. He wasn't just thinking about their looks but it was also what was going on inside their minds. He could remember thinking that she looked so sad, just like Rosalie. She looked out onto the ocean longingly like it was her only escape, like she wanted to go venture beyond the waves and escape from whatever it was she was running from. Kind of like Rosalie.

There was no denying it now. He knew from the look in Yuki's eyes that he knew something. He had to admit the one emotion which began to overwhelm him was jealousy. Why did she tell Yuki and not him? Did she not know? Did she not see that he cared about her as much or if not more than Yuki? That there really was a secret, a secret Rosalie clutched to her chest so tightly she was unwilling to let it go and for it to remain pressed against her skin, biting, scratching and tearing at her, that it had been like that for so long she was becoming numb from the pain. She could no longer feel it. She was no longer aware of the damage it was doing upon her soul. She had no idea that her self-destructive behaviour was just making the situation even worse.

He just wanted to be able to stop her from swimming out into the ocean and pull her back to shore so that she could be safe from all the wild, stormy waves which would pull her under the water and drown her. He just wanted to protect her. Why could anyone in her position have any objections to that? Surely she wanted to be saved at some point. He knew more than anyone what it was like to carry a burden. He wished every day that someone would come along and save them from the curse, make them like everyone else so that they could finally be free and happy. He could see from one look in her eyes, that Rosalie was not happy. He wanted to rescue her but the problem was she felt that she didn't need to be saved.

He knocked on the door briskly and hoped to be welcomed by Nana, Erik or even Rosalie herself only to find a tall youth standing in the door way. They narrowed their eyes at one another knowing immediately that there was some form of antagonism occurring between the two but just didn't know the cause of it.

"Yes?" The stranger finally said.

"I'm here to see, Rosalie Laurent. I'm her cousin, Momiji Sohma."

The older man raised an eyebrow and grinned slightly. Momiji couldn't help but feel like he was mocking him and tried not to scowl.

"Ah, I've been hearing a lot about you Sohmas." He slurred.

Momiji blinked. "I'm sorry who are you?" He demanded.

The stranger immediately stretched his hand and shook Momiji's firmly. "I'm also her cousin, Faron Laurent. A pleasure to meet you, Momiji Sohma."

"I'm sure." He muttered before entering into the house. He looked around in hope that he might see Rosalie tucked away in a corner somewhere only to find no one. Almost as if the house had been utterly abandoned.

"Where is Rosalie?" He insisted.

Before Faron could answer someone already came bounding down the stairs and took Momiji by the arm dragging him back up.

"Don't worry, Faron. I'll take it from here. I am better in entertaining guests than you anyway." A familiar voice sang.

"Thank you." He whispered into Erik's ear.

Erik glanced out of the corner of his eye and winked. "Try being related to him. He hung me out by my feet out a window once."

"What?" Momiji asked wondering what kind of psycho this Faron was.

Erik waved a hand. "It's alright. Just as long as I stay as far away from him as possible, it's fine. Here you are." He said indicating to Rosalie's room. He knocked on the door. "Rosalie!"

"What?" Demanded a grumpy voice.

"You have a visitor."

Momiji slid the door open without hesitation, which seemed to surprise Erik but held no objections for him doing so. He had a pretty good idea as to why he was behaving like this and knew better than to interfere. Momiji found Rosalie with her nose in a book reading the weeks reading assignment no doubt. Always working, always keeping her mind busy, keeping those demons at bay. Just as long as she preoccupied her thoughts with something else she wouldn't have to think about all those things which evidently haunted her. Momiji knew her type, so what he always knew was that deep down all she needed was for someone to listen and to hold her hand. She looked up with a bewildered expression on her face then she saw the look on his face and then she knew why he was there.

~ (***) ~

Kureno had no idea what Arisa was trying to hide. At times she could be an absolute enigma when at the same time he could read her like a book. He knew at times he could be the clueless idiot of the couple who didn't have as much worries as Arisa did but even they could tell when there was something wrong with their loved ones at times. He could see that when she was hesitating with what would be the right thing to say in that situation that something was wrong. She was normally so talkative. She didn't have to worry about what was the right thing to say when she wasn't struggling with whatever she was thinking about. Something which was agonising her. Her reached out and took her hand telling her without words that it was okay. That whatever it was everything was going to be okay. It didn't matter because he loved her.

Arisa looked up at him when she felt his hand touch hers with a desperate look in her eyes. She was asking him to forgive her, to show her mercy. Whatever he did, just to show her mercy and understanding as to why she had taken so long to tell him everything. It was only because she was afraid. She was afraid of what this might mean for the both of them. She was afraid that once it was all out that there was no turning back. That there was no way to undo this. She had to admit she had contemplated having an abortion but only for a moment. When she remembered that she would never be able to look him in the eye if she did so. It would be a betrayal against him she went ahead with it.

"Arisa look at me." He said gently. She glanced up at him gingerly. "Tell me. You know it'll be fine once you tell me."

She nodded. "I know. I just want you to know before I tell you that I'm sorry for not telling you until now and that I wanted to but...I just want you to understand that's all." She said finally trying to hold back her sobs in the process.

He nodded. "You know I will."

She gave him a cynical smile. "I have a feeling that I'm not so sure that's going to be the case."

"I highly doubt that."

"I'm pregnant."

Silence rested between the two of them almost to the point of weighing over them like a blanket they couldn't find a way out of. Eventually Kureno spoke.

"Why were you so scared of telling me?"

"Because once I would say it out loud it would be real. I...I'm so scared of being a mother."

Kureno smiled. "Darling, every mother feels that way before a child is born-"

"But what if I'm not a good mother?"

"You will be." He assured her.

"How do you know that?" She insisted.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I just know."

~ (***) ~

Rosalie just stared at him not knowing what to do. She had no intention of anyone finding out about any of this before she came to Japan. Then when Yuki and Hatori found out their secret she acknowledged the fact that people were going to eventually discover what they were. She just didn't intend people to be finding out so quickly. She had to admit, despite what she told Yuki, she wanted Momiji to be the last to know because she knew he was going to be the most difficult person to tell all of this to. Not because he wouldn't understand but because of how she felt about him. She knew that once she told him the truth he would only think of her as a monster. She would do if she was in his position. Her mother meant everything to him, more than anyone else but herself and once she told him the truth of how she really died...It would ruin everything. But she knew she would have to tell him one day. She just didn't want the day where they would part ways to come so soon.

"When were you going to tell me?" He asked.

She didn't look up at him. "I presume Yuki told you everything."

"No. I just know that he knows everything and I want to hear it from you." He replied in a frustrated tone. "I mean I at least deserve that."

She wrung her wrists and felt her heart hammering in her chest. "I...I suppose the easiest way to explain what we have is...abilities associated with the elements. Erik is electricity."

"That's an element?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose so. William is ice and I...am energy. Life. Death. Whatever you wish to call it. It's most importantly of what my gift is which makes it even more difficult to have this conversation with anyone."

"Why?" He demanded.

"Because if it wasn't for my...'powers' my mother would still be alive."

Momiji felt like he had been staked through the heart. Yoshiko Sohma was a fairly influential person in his life even though he didn't have the chance to get to know her that well. However to hear her own daughter to say those words felt like a betrayal. But then he also began to question whether they were actually true. If not, was she deceiving him? Playing a trick on him? Or had someone perhaps put that idea in her head? He was more than willing to bet on the last option. He knew that in these kind of families there was always a leader or someone controlling the rest of the family members and he was willing to bet a lot of money that it was on this 'Yuri' which had been frequently mentioned...

"How...? How did it happen?"

"I was reaching out to her one day. We were just walking down the stairs and I wanted to hold her hand. At that point I had no idea that I had this...curse. I took her hand and I must have taken out all the life in her because the next thing I knew she had gone pale and fell down the stairs. I killed her."

Momiji had nothing to say and Rosalie knew this was the end. That this was when they were never going to see or speak to one another ever again. This was her goodbye. She was going to let Yuri knew that Yuri had won. Yuri was right, she was never going to be a part of their world and never would be. They would never be able to understand or comprehend the responsibility and the burden which she had to carry on her shoulders. They would never be able to comfort her in the fact that she was her mothers murderer. There was no way of her tiptoeing around that fact or even trying to deny it. She came here seeking redemption or freedom, but all she found now was just a reminder of the fact that she would always be a monster.

"You really think that?" Momiji asked quietly. "You really think because you weren't able to control yourself when you weren't even aware that there was something to be controlled that it is immediately your fault? You never stop to think about the fact that you were a child? That you had no intention of killing your mother that day or at all for that matter? Don't you think that would have some impact upon whether you really were her murderer?"

"Well I can hardly call it an accident now can I?" She snapped.

He tilted his head slightly. "No. But it's not your fault either and if you think now that I know this is going to make me want to push you away..."

Momiji cast his eyes downwards for a moment in contemplation, looked up again and moved closer towards her. He opened up his arms to embrace her and brought her head to his chest so that she could hear his heart drumming in his chest.

"I know what its like to have to hide in the shadows, to feel guilty for someone else's pain, to be lonely and I want to take the chance now to ease that pain for you. I don't want you to be scared...because I think that's the last thing your mother would have wanted for you."

"Why do you think I came back?" She blurted. "Why do you think I came here? Because I felt like it? I came here to escape. I came here because I knew it was the one thing I could do...It's the one thing I can do in telling Yuri that I'm not afraid."

"I know you're not afraid. You're one of the bravest people I know but your problem is you depend on yourself too much you don't realise that there are so many people around you offering their hands so that you don't have to face this alone."

"I know."

He shook his head. "No you don't. You understand what I'm telling you but you really don't believe it. You really don't believe it because you don't think you deserve it. You think that you should just be content with being able to live freely when really you've just found yourself another jail."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because I just do. It's that simple. I just care about you. I don't have to have a reason. Nature goes in a certain direction because that's just the way its supposed to be." He answered calmly. "What about you? Why do you care so much about the fact that I care about you?"

"I..." She tried looking away but always found herself turning back to the blonde haired young man. "I don- I...Because I don't want you to think...That I'm a monster."

He frowned. "Why would I think that?"

"Because of what I did to my mother."

"I thought we had established that this wasn't your fault." He replied. He took her hand. "There is nothing which will change the way I feel about you."

He stared into her eyes until he knew that she believed him but not knowing that it left her with more questions that she had to begin with.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

A/N: Hi guys! I know I've said this before and I will say it again, sorry for the long update. I know I said last time as well they will become more regular but honestly it was because then I decided to re-edit my old stories or current stories because...Well let's put it this way it was a little bit embarrassing when I was reading them over again. We all have moments like that, yes, but I'll a little more neurotic than most people so...

Anyway I hope you can all forgive me yet again for this horrible crime and I really hope you enjoy this new chapter. R & R!

Chapter Thirty

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_Rosalie walked towards the horizon with her hand outstretched, hoping that she could feel warm once again even when she felt so cold. It was because she was so far away. Far away from home. Far away from who she was. Who she could be. She felt herself shiver all over as if a cold, winter breeze had brushed over her skin. She looked around and saw that all the trees and flowers in full bloom. Why was she so cold? She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms. She turned back to the horizon and saw out of nowhere, a city had appeared. She instantly felt hot and could feel beneath her bare feet warm, golden sands. She took a few steps forward and felt her feet burn against the scorching sands. She wasn't sure she was just seeing a mirage, hallucinating or whether this was a miracle that she had stumbled across it. All she knew was that she felt lost and now all she needed was a place to be. It didn't matter where it was. She just needed a place...She was so uncertain with whether it was real though. She was filled with so much doubt and turmoil which came and went in exchange with peace and absence of anxiety. It reminded her of looking over Paris from its outskirts through the fog on a hilltop in the spring evenings. They were those moments where you felt utter, complete peace. All those things you were worrying about had vanished and all that was left was the simple spectacle in front of you._

_She closed her eyes and wished to be back to the place where she was before. She was fine with being far away from being home now. She knew she couldn't go back there. Not after what she did to her. She knew she was just a child, but it was her fault. Still she never her heart longed for the gates of Paris. She knew that more than anything she wanted to be welcomed back to the place which had banished her for her crime. She wanted to be back upon the banks of Paris. She wanted to be in the cold rather than in the scorching sun. She wanted to be cooled and at peace rather than feverish and in no control of her sensations. That was one of the things that she hated, no detested about Venice. It was sometimes too hot...She felt a swift return to the cold and opened her eyes to find herself once again at her old home. She stretched out her hand again to the door to only find herself at the place where her father vowed to never return. She slowly retracted her hand and crouched away. She looked down at the ground and tried not to cry again. She roughly pressed her hands against her eyes and took in a deep breath. She heard the sound of birds overhead and the swishing of water in the banks near Paris. She took in the smell of fresh fields and the sounds of the city before she opened them again. _

_She found herself yet again in another place. A place where she knew this time where her eventually destination had finally become clear. She had been standing outside the gates and now she was being taken to the place which her dreams wished her to go. Or maybe it was someone else? Was there someone else that was able to see her all this time, did they know her intentions of leaving Venice all along? She now on a river, somewhere, in a boat which was gliding across the waves in an eerie manner. She looked down upon the waters which were so dark and grey, not with murkiness but with melancholy. There was mist hovering above the waters, almost licking against the surface in a seductive manner. The cold winds brushed against the river bed as if to taunt it. She shivered at the scene and looked around to see where she was going even though she knew deep in her heart as to where she was and where she might be going. She wanted to turn around and see who it was that was rowing but she didn't dare look, otherwise it might tell her where she was going. She would be certain with that small gesture. She didn't want to know. She just wanted to wake up. She wanted this all to stop. It was too much. She turn around to the boatman, to look him in the eye and plead with him to stop her voyage. She wanted to plead with him. Only for a moment she pitied him. He was hunched over and knew for certain that he mourned. _

"_Please." She begged. "Please. Don't take me there."_

_The voiceless boatman looked up and said nothing. He or she simply carried on rowing down the trackless road so that she could be delivered to where she needed to be, like a mere parcel. _

"_I know Yuri wants me there, but please...Not there. I understand I've made her angry. I do understand. I'll do whatever she asks. I'll stop...I'll come back if that's what Yuri wants..."_

_The boatman stopped rowing and she saw that she had come to a door. A door she knew all too well. _

_She shook her head frantically. "No. No. I beg you."_

_The cloaked boatman reached out and took her wrist. It was so cold and it gripped her like a man on his death bed. _

"_Please!" She screamed._

_He dragged her off the boat and with one swift movement took out some keys and opened the door. He tried to resist and leaned back as if to topple him over. He was too strong and he was able to bring her through the doorway without even flinching. Her resistance seemed to have no effect on him. _

"_Please I beg you!"_

_He brought her into a dark corridor. Somewhere that was surrounded in darkness. She could see from the numerous doors that any could be anywhere. This was a place which was no subject to time or space. It was a place which could reveal a man's greatest desires or greatest fears. She knew though that she was not going to be given a favourable gift upon this visit. _

"_I beg you...No...No!NO!"_

_Before she could even argue with him she was thrown through one of the doors and her face slammed against the floor. She was gasping as if the boatman had strangled her within an inch of her life. She touched her neck hesitantly for a moment and drew her hand away in case she would anger Yuri any further. She looked up and watched the entire scene. It had become a play which had once been well performed, something which was in actuality rather good but had been overdone so many times that it had no longer had the spark it once had. She knew it well, she had lived it after all. It was always the same as well, making the memory of it all the more bland. There was the same musky smell in the air. It the light in the room had the same dimness as there was at that moment. A detail which she should have seen as a sign that something she befall upon the family. She turned away from the scene and watched the sun sink into the distance. She could still see it glowing from behind the hills which it was hiding behind. She followed the short gaze of the sun to where this dream wished her to turn her attention to. She could see the dark haired woman fall down the stairs, her arms were stretched out again. Almost as if to implore her young daughter to save her when she was already lost..._

Rosalie had already been crying out before she woke up. She could see someone peering down at her with concern. At first she thought it was Erik but then she recognised the the dark features of Faron. She blinked for a moment and wondered whether this was another part of her dream but then she realised it was not her questions turned to why he was there.

"Faron?" She asked timidly.

He looked down at her in such a strange way. It was almost affectionate...

"I just- I heard you crying out for your mother. I thought there was something wrong. I see it was just a bad dream."

She sat up and nodded. "Yes. I just..."

She looked him over and wondered why she was telling him this. She knew he was the eyes and ears of Yuri. She knew she couldn't trust him. Not with her life and certainly not with this dream. She did need someone to talk to. If she went to go find Erik now she feared Faron may scare him into telling him what she had disclosed to Erik. She had to talk to someone about this...

She feigned amusement at this whole episode and chuckled. "It's nothing. I'm just being silly."

"You're never silly." He said never tearing his eyes away from her, which was beginning to unsettle her...

She decided to take this conversation to a more serious turn to see what he was up to. She was sure that Erik would have come rushing to her and she was sure that Faron ordered him to go back to bed so that he could take his place. She was sure of it.

"I am sure that Yuri would think otherwise. Of course no one could argue with Yuri." She replied evenly.

He nodded. "I am sure we are not the equal of Yuri in many respects but even those you cannot argue with can sometimes be wrong. Or may misunderstand on first glance which can of course affect their opinion."

She tilted her head. "I see."

He saw her turn away and was about to reach out and touch her hand but drew away quickly. "I wish to go back to sleep."

Faron walked away and closed the door behind him wishing that he could tell her which he had left unsaid...

~ (***) ~

"Rosalie just called!"

Haru almost dropped the plate he was drying when Rin called to him through the kitchen. She was balancing the baby on her hip with a bright smile on her face.

"Oh yes? What did she say?"

"She said that she wanted to come up and see us. She wanted to come and see the new house."

Haru, who looked rather surprised by this nodded. "Very well. It would be nice to see her again. It's nice that at least someone is expressing an interest in seeing us."

Rin smiled. "Quite. She said she might be a while though. So we have time to get ourselves in order when her Majesty arrives."

"How very kind of her." He joked. "Although I think there may be a different reason why she has come to see us."

Rin's smile faltered a little. "Oh?"

"I heard from Hatori that some more of her relatives have come to stay. I think this is merely a way for her to get away."

~ (***) ~

There was a knock on the door quite early in the morning but then again Momiji always got up early. He was playing the violin at the time when he heard the knock he was surprised at himself that he could hear it since he was so engrossed in this occupation at the time. He was always so deep in his thoughts when he played. Even seemed clearer to him when he even brought those thoughts upon himself. Even though it aggravated quite a few people in the household Momiji always got up early so that he could play the violin. Thankfully his house was quite close to that of Hatori's who was always getting up rather early himself. For a while he thought he was annoying him also. However after a few weeks Hatori made a comment that he seemed to have changed in the composers which he was playing. He even went on for a while about how much he preferred the composer he had recently turned to which spurred Momiji on even further since it seemed to be something which Hatori liked about his early mornings. Although there was a change in his schedule that morning. One which he certainly had no objections to...

He put his violin down carefully and went to the door. He found Rosalie there with a bright smile on her face.

"Ah, I see I didn't wake you." She said. "Of course, you were just playing. Was...Was that Schubert you were playing?"

He nodded. "Yes. How...Well you are such a fan of his, of course you were going to tell who it was. I suppose it is you would know..." He shook his head. "How rude of me, please come in."

She stepped through and looked about the place. "I was going to go and visit Rin and Haru at their house. I'm yet to visit them and I was wondering whether you wanted to come with me. Not that if you have any other plans?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No. No I would be happy to go with you. Besides, do you even know where they live?"

"They gave me an address." She answered.

"Do you drive?"

She was going to admit defeat at the end of this banter. "No. I did walk here after all."

He chuckled. "Not to worry. We have a driver on call all day and all night long. So we need not worry about that."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh the joys of being rich."

~ (***) ~

Momiji and Rosalie arrived only under an hour of when she went to pick him up. Haru and Rin exchanged a glance when the two came walking through the door. They almost felt like they were looking after themselves when they were younger. After all there were so many similarities in their situation which there were with their own until they could admit to their own. Rin herself didn't even realise her feelings for Haru until he had the courage to admit his own for her. They were both sure that it couldn't be that different for when they would arrive at the same moment. They could see it in their eyes that they loved one another. When Rosalie mentioned she had to do something before she came she didn't realise it would be this. Both the young parents knew all too well of when you had to hide your feelings from one another, especially when the other could be in danger of being hurt by the other if they were found out. Rosalie probably felt that this would be the only time she would have to spend with him now that there were more family members coming to stay with them. Almost like they were retreating some lovers nest. They knew that such a love could not be hidden forever and one day the other would have to admit to loving the other.

They all decided that they should go to the beach, even though it wasn't the warmest time of year they knew it would still be lovely to get some fresh air and how much fresher could you get than the sea air? Rosalie and Momiji were delighted with this notion and even took turns carrying their little Izumi themselves while the tread along the tide. She looked beautiful by the seaside. Momiji wasn't sure why but every time she glanced towards the sea the wind would blow against her hair and she would look like her mother again. They would leave Haru and Rin to walk together hand in hand. Rosalie would glance over her shoulder and smile at the scene. It reminded her of the days when her mother was still alive when she would have days like these and she would watch her parents when they thought she wasn't looking. He would look down at his wife in the same way that Haru would look down at Rin. He would run her fingers through her hair in the same gentle manner Haru would when it blew in the wind. If only such days could last...She looked down at the little child and tickled her under the chin. She never reckoned herself as a good mother. Although it felt almost natural for her to be holding the little girl, pointing out the seagulls to her and teaching her the name of other things which could be found by the sea.

"She's beautiful." She mused as she brushed her hair back.

Momiji nodded in agreement. "She's just like her parents."

"God forbid." She joked, knowing of her parents fiery natures. She noticed the girl seemed a little tired and picked her up. "Rin, I don't know whether she's getting a little tired..."

"Ah, yes." Said her mother as she took her. "You have to be careful to not tire them too much. We'll just take her back inside."

Haru and Rin nodded back to her while they walked back up the hill. She turned back to Momiji who could only smirk at them. They were being tactful.

"So...What do you think?"

"I think they're lucky. To be so happy and their home to be in such a..."

"Would you like a place like this someday?" He asked, probably sounding a little more hopeful than he would like to let on.

She looked at him and gave him a sad smile. "To be honest, I don't think I deserve it."

"Because of your mother?" He questioned.

Before she answered this question she had to dwell on her other regret. She thought that she would be able to have carried this out when she fully realised the whole truth of it all but soon it became too late for her to take anything back. This was the one thing that no one knew. The one thing Yuri could not use against her. Although then again she did not need the taunts of her family leader to make her feel bad about something else, some other crime that she had committed. She didn't want to think about it but she knew that the longer that she put off this confession she would feel that black hole inside her growing stronger and bigger to the point where there was nothing left of her. She had made her a promise which would be so easy for her to break she could admit to that. So it was no surprise that she had done. She thought that when her mother asked her this for it to be so strange a request to ask, but looking back in hindsight she could see why. Only it was too late for her to stop herself from breaking that promise. If she hadn't that could have been her one chance for redemption. After all that she had done to her mother. Even after talking to Momiji about it there was still nothing to deter her from considering it murder on her behalf...

"She made me promise...When I was just a child, to never become embroiled in the affairs of the Laurents and that I should never betray...the Sohmas. It seems now I have wronged her twice over."

He took her by the shoulders and shook his head. "Well I am glad to assure you that you haven't. If you had broken it you would not be here."

She turned away with a faint smile on her face. She sat down on the sand and laid there for a while. Eventually Momiji joined her and laid her hand on top of hers. They sat there for long enough to know that Rin and Haru were not going to come out again. They sat there for long enough for the sun to begin to sink down sending a sparkling ray of light across the sea's surface. For a moment she could remember when she returned to the shore her parents and her would walk along after her mother died. She never went back after that. There was fog in the air with a single seagull swooping through the air. She felt alone on that day. She felt that she had lost everything. Now that she had come back she felt like she had gotten everything else back. A single tear rolled down her cheek and before it would fall to the ground Momiji kissed it so he could feel the gentle taste of it on his lips. She turned to him for a moment, silently looking at him knowing that she was no longer alone...


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirty-One

For **xcresentxmoonx**

It was cold by the time they had got back. He waved her goodbye when he got out of the car. He watched the car drive away as soon as it was out of sight and was left feeling like he had lost something still. As soon Momiji walked through the door he found Shigure lying on the floor looking over his song sheets. He was lying as if he was looking down upon a lover, stroking her hair and running his fingers against her silky skin. For a moment he was thinking of a girl weighing down his own heart but then he remembered someone else was in the room when he was thinking about something so intimate. It took him a moment to take in the scene and to realise that he was there and what he was looking at since he was thinking of Rosalie at the time. He had asked the driver to take her home since it had gotten dark by the time they had come back and he didn't want her walking about the streets of Tokyo when it was cold and dark, despite her insistence. Momiji panicked in that moment and instead of running towards him and snatching them from his hand whilst shouting a range of curses at him he decided to freeze all over. Then without warning he decided to run round the room which finally grabbed Shigure's attention although he must have known the moment when he walked through the door...

"Ah Momiji you're home." He noted conversationally. "How was your day with Rosalie?"

Momiji stopped and stared down at him. "How did you know about that?"

"Oh Haru called me and told me everything. It seems your relationship is getting a bit serious from what I've heard."

"We're not doing anything!" He protested.

Shigure waved his hand in a careless manner. "I'm sure you're not. Although I feel as your older relative that I should give you some advice..."

"Yuki and Kyo warned me against taking any lady advice from you." Momiji replied.

Shigure dead-panned for a moment. "Er...Well..."

Momiji blinked at him. "Was there something you wanted to ask me, Shigure?"

Shigure scratched the back of his head. "Well...We were all wondering how it went with Rosalie to-"

"Why?" He demanded, almost defensively.

Shigure's smirk spread across his lips and there was a glint in his eyes. "Well, from this reaction I can see that there is something to be suspicious of."

Momiji sighed. "Can you all please, please find something better to do with your time? Treating Rosalie and I- Treating our friendship as if its something to gossip about in a magazine. It's getting a bit tiring."

"You're being awful defensive about something which you claim to be nothing, Momiji." Shigure reasoned.

Momiji gulped and turned away. He stood looking out the window for a while, for long enough for Shigure to decide to leave him, knowing there was no more to speak of. It would probably be best to leave him to that thought, to leave it to come to it's conclusion naturally rather than forcing it through the eye of the needle. When he realised that Shigure had gone he went to retrieve the song sheets and put them back together in order and neatly and put them away. He was glad he hadn't put lyrics to them yet otherwise Shigure would know for sure who his creation was for. He couldn't think of what everyone else was concerned about. It sounded selfish but all he could dwell upon, what had been consuming him for longer than he cared to admit was what he was concerned about, which happened to be going in the same direction as everyone else's thoughts. He felt every form of physical pain when he thought about her, how much he thought about her just increased that pain until he had become numb. He wished that every night that when he played the violin now, that not only his sister was listening but also that she was listening. He touched his lips briefly thinking about that taste, that taste that would never go away, even after the tears had dried...

~ (***) ~

As soon as she walked through the door, Rosalie was attacked by a range of voices she wasn't sure which one to answer first.

"Where have you been then?"

"Where did you go this morning?"

"What have you been doing today, Rosalie?"

She stepped back a little and shook her head. "Well since you're all after the same thing then I can tell all of you at once the answer to your questions." She put her coat away and sat beside everyone. "I want to go see Rin and Haru at their new house."

William raised his eyebrows and nodded with approval. "Very good. I heard they had picked quite a nice spot at a reasonable price." He noted.

"I didn't ask about the price but I can certainly confirm about the spot was well chosen." She replied stiffly.

He should have known by now that she wasn't prestigious enough and didn't care to be to want to ask people those sorts of questions.

Erik grinned, knowing what she was up to and decided that it would be best not to comment. He noticed, however, that Faron seemed a little bit intent upon knowing who she had been with and what she had been doing.

"Who else was there?" He demanded.

She looked up at him evenly and smiled. "Why do you ask?"

Faron shrugged. "I was just wondering."

She raised an eyebrow. "I see..." She paused a moment. "Well if you must know the people who were there was Rin, Haru, their child and Momiji."

Faron stiffened a little at the mention of his name. He gripped onto the glass he was holding in his hand and was almost tempted to break it. Smash it into a million pieces. He recalled the one time they had met and knew that he would hate him on sight. He spoke to him as if he had no respect for him or their family in any way despite the fact that he seemed rather close to someone so important in their family. He was not willing to even be polite to him. There was something intrusive in his manner. He almost thought that he wanted to smash down the Laurent name to the point where it was only rubble which could never even be partially rebuilt to not even be a good effort as a tribute to what it once was if an equal match was not possible. He came across as someone who wanted to know Rosalie all too well for his liking. He could remember his 'good looks' as well. If you were to think of blonde, childishly bright eyes and a slender figure as attractive. He almost looked too feminine to be a man or even a mere child, he couldn't pick between the two. He didn't know whether to ridicule him or to ridicule her for taking such an interest in him, whether it was romantic or just something merely innocent. He didn't care. He wanted him to burn. He wanted to watch his perfect, peachy pink skin melt in the flames. He wanted his bright eyes to dull over. He wanted to turn his blonde hair to ash. He wanted him out of the picture forever.

"You seemed to be spending a lot of time with him." He noted.

She looked up and blinked at him innocently. "Well, yes. He's my family."

"We're your family." He reminded her. "You do bare the name of Laurent, not of Sohma."

"The Sohma family is as much as my family as the Laurents. If not more." She replied through gritted teeth.

All three were quiet at the table. "You should be careful with what you say, Rosalie." William warned.

She rose to her feet and said one last thing before she left. "I may have been afraid of Yuri before this...But I'm tired of it." She said and then stomped off before they could say anything else.

She didn't look up the stairs so she wasn't aware of the dark figure looking down at her from the top of the stairs.

"Very well said, comrade." Greeted a seductive, honeyed voice.

Rosalie sighed, she didn't need to look up to see who it was. She knew from her very voice, she had heard it often enough for the past twenty-odd years.

"Are you not going to welcome your cousin, dear? After such a long and tedious flight. Thank goodness this place has a shopping centre. Although it isn't Paris is it dear?" She purred.

Rosalie didn't bother closing the door behind her knowing that her cousin would probably open it again. Hilda leaned against the door, sliding one leg across the inner wall in an alluring way, as if to call a man who was her mistress to her bed.

"What do you want, Hilda?"

She shrugged. "Nothing I just wanted to speak with you. Since it had been so long since we had spoken to one another."

She threw herself onto Rosalie's bed. "We're hardly like-minded souls." She murmured.

"What does that matter? I've known a great many people are the complete opposite of me and I've gotten on well with them."

"And by that you mean you've slept with them and its been rather satisfactory. Whether the act of it was satisfactory or the rewards were." She snapped.

Hilda laughed. "You make it sound so clinical. You're obviously a virgin."

"Well at least I have the dignity of not ever having any reason to be called a whore."

Hilda narrowed her eyes at her. "All this love...It really has made you sour hasn't it?"

Rosalie turned around and stared at her with wide eyes. Hilda grinned at her like the cat which had eaten the canary.

"So you do...A lot of people won't be happy with that..."

"What do you want, Hilda?" She demanded.

Hilda tilted her head and got to her feet. "What makes you think that I want anything?"

"Come, come Hilda. In our family, when you threaten someone it is only because you want something from them."

"What makes you think this is a threat?" She asked sweetly. "It would only be a threat if there was some truth in it."

"You seem to think there is plenty of truth in what you are accusing me of." She hissed.

"You're making it sound like its a crime to fall in love."

"Hilda, get to the point. I think we both know that you are the last person to suddenly grow all warm and fuzzy." She reasoned.

She took a step forward. "I just came here with some advice. As you can imagine I have had my own conquests and I have made a slight difference in them in terms of how I handle them. I dealt with it quietly."

"I doubt that loved many of them though." She replied coldly.

Hilda for a moment looked a little offended. "Just because they were secret doesn't mean I didn't love any of them."

"Did you love all of them?"

Hilda smirked and was about to walk away without another word. For a moment Rosalie even regretted her words as for a moment she believed that there may have been more to this spoilt brat than she had always thought her to be because she kept the kinder side of her hidden.

"Not all of them."

~ (***) ~

Everything seemed so quiet when Momiji was wondering through the gardens that night. He needed to be outside. He needed to be where the moon shone. He had to be with the one who would understand the pain weighing down on his heart. Even the trickling of the water seemed quieter than during the day. There was no wind. No stars in the sky. It was like the whole world, for this one night, decided to leave him alone to his own thoughts. It had finally decided to give him so quiet. He had found out earlier yesterday from Hatori that for the first few years of their marriage Rosalie's parents actually lived in the main house of the Sohma's. She was even born here. She had not been born in Venice as everyone, including herself had been led to believe. He even had it pointed out to him. It was close to where the cherry blossom tree was. The tallest and grandest one, which always, as every year went by produced the most beautiful flowers without fail. He did not even know, she was born many years before him. Although saying that she wasn't that much older than him, he was just surprised no one had ever told him.

He came across the place and slide the door open. He pictured a woman with her forehead and hair being bathed in sweat. Her eyes cast down to her newborn daughter. She would smile down at her with affection but also sadness only being able to see the future that she would have without having such a cursed gift.

He turned away and looked up, he looked up wondering whether she was looking up at the same moment as him. Was she thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her? Were their thoughts so closely connected that they could be twins which had been separated as birth?

_Rosalie?_

No answer.

_Rosalie can you hear me?_

Still no answer. How could such things be possible. Why did he allow himself to believe such a thing could be possible? How would her family allow it? Why would he contemplate such a thing...

_Rosalie are you there?_

Was this the reason why he wanted to meet her so badly? Could such a thing happen so easily? So quickly? Was that all it took? Could such a thing consume you in such an overwhelming, frightening speed?

_Rosalie are you this dead...?_

Why was she not answering him? Why did she not stay? Why could she not have stayed here? Why was she telling him all these things? Surely she didn't trust him that much and not...perhaps have the same feelings...Or be considering the same things as...

_Rosalie can you hear me?_

He felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He didn't turn around to see who it was. He had no idea as to who it could be but he wasn't bothered by this either. He didn't care. He didn't care for anything any more...

~ (***) ~

Rosalie was laid out on her bed staring at the ceiling. Her eyes soon drifted to the window and through the curtains she could see a full moon staring right back at her. She could almost hear a voice calling to her. As soon as Hilda left she went straight to bed but she wasn't tired. She just wanted to go to bed. She just wanted to be warm. She couldn't sleep though. She could only think for what was not only left unsaid but also what was left to be unresolved...Not until she could admit it to herself. The conversation that she had with Hilda and the others unsettled her a little. She felt like she had been interrogated for being Momiji's friend. She couldn't understand, as Hilda said, why there had to be a crime in that? Why did they all have to presume that there was something beyond there being a simple friendship between the two, but then again even she knew that wasn't true. She knew over the weeks something else had happened. Something she didn't plan on. She knew there was something more than just a simple friendship. She had plenty of those. Erik. Rin. Satomi. Yuki. However it was different with Momiji. She felt something...Some form of a connection with him. Almost like an empathy. She felt like he could see right into her and vice versa and would see herself reflected...

_She was still in her room. She hadn't gone anywhere but she could feel another presence in there. She sat up and looked around. Nothing was amiss, everything was where it should be and she couldn't see anything or anyone. Still, she could feel as if someone was there, watching her from the shadows as she laid in her bed. _

"_Who's there?"_

_There was no answer. She laid back down again and sighed. She was only imagining. That was all she was left to. When she was about to fall back to sleep she then heard a hiss hover about in the air. A gentle whisper. There were no words but she could hear the sound of a whisper, for that she was sure._

_She sat up and saw that the curtains had been drawn with the moonlight illuminating the entire room. She was about to get up when she saw someone was standing there. She tilted her head to see who it was. He had corn blonde hair which was curled so delicately it was almost like a child. He was as slim and graceful as a willow tree and his eyes were so sad. He was ringing his wrists with his eyes filled with torment as he stared up at the moon. The look on his face which was so clear to her because of the light frightened her. _

_She opened her mouth to say something but no words escaped from her lips. There were so many things she wanted to say to him. Some things which had been left...They were only her little regrets now. _

_From the corner of her eye she saw another figure. She looked familiar but she wasn't sure where she could place her...She was rather petite, not just in height but also in figure. She was such a small, little thing. Herself, also seeming like a child. Her raven black hair streamed down her back and flew about in the air as she ran to him. She skipped over to him as a child would run to a parent or someone whom they thought they had lost. _

_Rosalie gripped the bed when she saw her more clearly. She went in from of the man in the light and held his face in her hands as she looked up at him. He looked relieved to see her and could see from his shaking hands that he wanted to show her how much. Rosalie was about to cry out before they brought their lips together, she knew now her desires were even beginning to take over her dreams..._

~ (***) ~

When Momiji was about to get into bed he was sure that he heard someone cry out. He looked up as quickly as a startled cat. He looked around to see if it was someone else outside but nothing stirred after a few minutes. He considered going outside to see if everything was alright but he knew it was probably being watched. He was not sure why but for some reason he thought it was Rosalie even though she was too far away for him to be able to hear her utter a single word. Or even a howl for that matter. He got into his bed and laid down even though he knew he was going to have a long, sleepless night ahead of him. There was too much to think about. Why couldn't they just say what they wanted to say? Wasn't it easier that way? When he had been escorted to bed he knew that he was going to have someone to check up on him to see if he had actually gone to bed. There would also be a check on him in the morning no doubt, from Hatori who would ask him if there was anything bothering him of late even though everyone knew the reason.

When he turned to look out at the door way he thought for a moment that he could see a young woman in a lace nightgown. She was standing there almost as if she had been caught in a trance where she was helpless, vulnerable...Her beautiful, raven black, curly hair was trailing down her shoulders. He sat up wondering whether he should approach her. Her violet eyes stared into his to the point where it terrified him. She conveyed so much sadness in them he was sure that they were as great as the sadness he was carrying on his own shoulders. There were rings under her eyes which were marked by the endless nights where she thought of someone or something she had lost. Someone he could only hope could be him, even if this was a selfish wish. She tiled her head and walked towards him slowly. She stopped when she was by his bed and knely down so that her face was so close that he was sure he could feel her breath on his face. She reached out and brushed her hand through his hair and stroked his face as a mother would if she were comforting her ailing child.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirty-Two

For **Konekoko**

_This is my swan song, whatever I do now, I do it well_

_**Bee Gees, Swan Song**_

~ (***) ~

Rosalie was drinking coffee when they arrived. She was looking out the window almost feeling like she had something being taken off her chest. She felt free as soon as she got off the air-plane but it only took until now to actually feel like she was completely and utterly free. Now that she was able to tell him everything and that one little secret to herself she finally felt free. She She rubbed her eyes when she heard a knock at the door. She was making herself some coffee while she never thought that she could ever...Well she thought that she was never capable of ever being able to love. That was something that Yuri once told her. It always stuck in her mind until this very moment when it was beginning to fade away. She could feel it swelling up in her chest. She knew now that it had grown inside her for so long and without her noticing that there was no way that she was going to be able to cut it down or rip it out from its roots. There no need for her to hold it back now. She loved him.

She was still in her pyjamas. When she poured some out for herself she heard the knock and set off to answer it but stopped suddenly in the corridor when she realised that she was inappropriately dressed. She groaned and made her way over to the door and opened it. She hoped that it would be the postman or something but she found that it was a lot worse than that. A familiar orange haired cousin and his mousey girlfriend was standing on the doorstep. Tohru didn't seem to notice her lack of appropriate attire where Kyo was staring at her wide-eyed.

"Are you having a laundry day or something?"

Tohru glanced up at her boyfriend and blinked. "How did you know?"

Kyo gave her a worried look and patted her head. "Never mind, Tohru."

She smiled at the little exchange between the young couple, completely forgetting about the fact that she was in her pyjamas. She hoped that one day she would be able to have that. One day...

She blinked and gave them a smile. "Please, come in. Er...Why are you here?" She asked as she made her way inside.

"We were coming for the week since we were coming all this way to the little gathering here." Kyo replied trying to not making it sound as impolite as it did.

"This is our last day here so we thought we might-"

Tohru was interrupted by the shift arrival of Hilda who wore much more revealing pyjamas than Rosalie did which made her want to gag but turned back to her guests with an apologetic smile on her face.

"Who are your little friends, Rosie?" She sang.

"Hilda this is my cousin, Kyo and his girlfriend, Tohru. Kyo, Tohru this is my cousin on my father's side, Hilda."

"You're adorable." She greeted.

Kyo looked a little bit alarmed and Tohru seemed to be taking it as a compliment. Rosalie took in a deep breath and turned back to her cousin.

"Hilda, Kyo is evidently taken and is utterly rude to say so in front of his girlfriend." She said tiredly.

"Who said I was talking about Kyo?" She retorted. She glided back into the kitchen leaving Rosalie dumbfounded.

She turned back to the couple and tried to compose herself. "Are you seeing anyone else today?"

"Yes, Arisa. Although she said that she wanted everyone over. Apparently they have some big news to tell everyone."

"Right considering the way I'm dressed do you mind if I meet you there, perhaps? I just don't want you waiting around and...You're in a hurry."

Tohru nodded. "That's okay. Come over soon though. It would be nice to see you before we go."

She beamed at them and nodded. "Absolutely."

As soon as they had left she went straight to the kitchen and stared at Hilda who was drinking _her _coffee. Without knowing that there was someone behind her she burst out.

"You're gay?"

Erik looked around in a bewildered fashion and asked, "Did I miss something?"

~ (***) ~

Ayame was making his way out with his arms linked arm in arm with Mine. Before they stepped out the door he stole a little kiss from her making her giggle.

"Come, come Mine, we must not be late."

She shook her head. "Of course not. Although I wonder why Kureno asked us all to gather at the main house. Do you think the two are finally getting married?"

"Oh I hope so. I've been dying to make someone in this family a wedding dress. Tohru and Kyo are too busy with their occupations. Then there is Yuki who is too busy with his studies and as is Machi. They have hardly any time to see one another."

Mine patted his arm. "I know, Dear. I know."

"Then there is Hatori." He continued. "He is with the perfect woman and he...Shigure is even worse. I am more surprised by him than anyone else. He has loved her for years, has been here for years I thought it would be about time...I really hope this is the news...There is also Ritsu. Shigure and myself are trying our best to encourage him but he is just so nervous about the affair and she is no better."

"You seem very determined for everyone to get married, Ayame."

He grinned and looked down at her. His face was so close to hers that they were rubbing noses which he did so very cheekily.

"And what is wrong with that, dearest Mine?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. You just missed someone else out. Someone who should concern you more than the people you have mentioned."

He raised an eyebrow. "And who would that be?"

"Aya...Can't you guess?"

He chuckled. He knew that this had been something which had been on his mind for longer than she would have suspected. He knew from the moment they first met they were going to be the perfect pair. Years passed and he knew that he loved her more than he could ever care to admit. Then the time came when the curse was lifted and he was able to embrace her. He then knew that he would always love her. Now he knew after a few months of 'dating' that he would always want to be with her, for as long as they both shall live...

~ (***) ~

Rosalie threw on her coat and looked over her shoulder one last time before she turned back to the door. She was about to walk through it until someone stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

She sighed. "I'm going to go see one of my cousins. Is that a problem, Faron?"

Faron sighed and took a step forward. She was never afraid of this tall, dark figure. She just never trusted him. He, on the other hand, mistook that for a great loathing.

"Rosalie. I am just asking so that I know where you will be. I want to know in case something happens to you so that I know where to look if anything should arise." He reasoned.

She stepped back with a surprised look on her face. She almost look like she was slowly moving from distrust to surprise.

"Is this simply one of the tasks Yuri set for you before you left Venice?" She inquired coldly.

Faron took a step forward. "No. This is simply something I have decided to take upon myself, Rosalie. I would do that even if it was not asked of me to look after you."

"So Yuri did ask you?" She retorted with a smirk on her face.

On that note she turned around and walked out the door. He sighed and was sure that William was standing behind him. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to strangle the man or...

"Careful, Faron." William chided.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the stove was on fire. William simply laid a hand over the fire itself and a cloud of ice seemed to be dropped on top it and put the fire out with the water which dripped off his hands.

"You really need to start controlling those abilities, Faron. Control of emotions."

"Is that what you do?" He snapped.

William looked up and for a moment Faron thought he might have hurt his feelings. There was a look in his eyes which looked like you had stabbed someone in their soft spot. A place where they thought they had been able to hide from the world but it seemed like they had been able to be unsuccessful in this pursuit. There were something's about William he almost felt like he was hiding. He was always the most quiet one of this family. He was never the one to get in trouble with Yuri, next to Faron he was the most obedient and the most trusted. For a long time Yuri always made sure that they were always living under the same roof therefore it would be difficult to keep secrets from one another. What also made it difficult was for any one to hide any secrets was that Faron was always keeping watch over them. He was only here so that he was able to watch over them. Yuri knew that the further away they were the less control there was over their actions. Mostly it had something to do with loving another outside their boundaries. There was always something, he didn't know what it was but he had a feeling. There was one time. One summer William seemed a little off. He almost had a feeling that he might be sneaking off to see some woman. He knew that he must have been having an affair. What annoyed him the most is who it could possibly be...

~ (***) ~

"Well we can see that most people are here...Now. So I suppose we can tell everyone the news now." There was a paused between this and when Kureno finished his sentence. "We're having baby."

Everyone sat there was a quiet for a moment until Tohru threw herself onto Arisa and cried out. "Congratulations! You're going to be a Mom! That's so exciting!"

Hatori turned to Kureno and nodded to him. "Congratulations are in order. Now Izumi will have a playmate. So when did you find out?"

"Just the other day. We thought it would be best to tell everyone sooner rather than later. Like a-"

"Band aid. Yes I have heard the joke many times over. I hope you know, Kureno that this is a huge responsibility you are being endowed with."

He nodded. "Yes. I only want what is best for them and I know that will always be on my mind."

Hatori surveyed the man and smiled faintly. "I see you have grown up quiet well, Kureno. Unlike those of your own age. You're more maturer than your elders and I dread the day Shigure or Ayame tells me that they will be fathers. I can't imagine how such self-centred individuals could care for another little being..."

"Whereas I?"

"Whereas you cared for Akito your whole life. You watched over her. I think you would make a wonderful father."

Meanwhile Hana, Tohru and Arisa were sat around discussing what was going to be next. "So when are you going to start shopping for baby clothes?"

Arisa almost burst out laughing. "Tohru. This is a little soon. I just found out that I'm having a baby. I need a little time to take it all in."

"Hmm. I can sense the anxiety in your brain waves, Arisa. Don't worry so much, Arisa." Hana replied.

Arisa smiled and could only think that it was easier said than done. Like so many things in this world. It was hard to get up and actually go out and do it. It was the most frightening thing of all to fail but it was even harder to make sure that you actually didn't fail. She wished she was more like Hana who would be acting all mellow about this. Then there was Tohru who would be the perfect, natural mother. Just look at the example she was brought up with. She always did things by her mothers standards. Well, almost everything. She wished that there was a way that she could just erase all that had happened. She knew that this was the wrong feeling to be having when she was about to have a child but she knew it was too late to get rid of it. She had told everyone now. She knew it was too late in the pregnancy. She had told her boss about it and she knew that she would have to give up her career for the time being. She thought that this was something which happened after she had a career. Her having a child...This had all come too soon. She didn't want to talk about this because it was too soon, but because this should have never happened. They should have been careful. They were always so careful about all this and now...Now she had to tie herself to another plan. She always thought that Tohru would be the first to become a mother but it seemed fate had other plans...

Arisa, didn't know this but she was being watched. From someone who knew what it was like to feel scared when something new was coming into their lives. For a distance, Rosalie was watching this girls expression on her face and she knew what she saw...Fear. Yes, that was what it was. Fear. She knew that she was afraid of having this child. She knew that she was more afraid than anything of being a mother. She could relate to the thought of it being too early in one's life to have a child. She always knew that she would put off having a child until later on in life. She glanced at Momiji and wondered whether he would ever want children. He caught her eye and smiled at her, he glanced at Arisa and she could see this was what he wanted someday. He looked back at her with a look...She smiled, of course he would and she knew that he wouldn't exactly share her sentiment upon when would be the best time to have the children. She turned back to Arisa and wanted to step forward and give her something to ease her pain. She could touch her stomach and take her child from her but there were enough people in this family who knew what she could do.

"So what do you think?" She could feel his voice tickling against the nape of her neck which made her shiver all over.

She looked around and she smiled Momiji's sudden appearance. "Um...I think its great. Don't you? I hope she's going to be happy."

"She will." He said with more reassurance than the mother. She couldn't help but wonder why he was so assured that anyone would be happy with something like this.

"Well...I don't know. I guess I know what its like to be scared. When you have something..." She looked down at her hands and sighed. She then saw him take her hand and she glanced up at him.

He smiled at her. "Not every person you touch...Not every person you care about is going to die. I promise."

She glanced up at him shyly and held onto his hand tightly. She wanted to bring it to her lips and kiss his hand but she knew that she would draw unwanted attention to them both. Someone would say something and she would be shipped off back to Venice. Yuri knew the last thing that she would want was for her to fall in love with one of these people. It would just show that she no longer swore her allegiance to Yuri.

"I...I just know its going to be hard having to let all of that go. It's going to be even harder to try and control it."

"You've got to remember that your gift is life. That is what its supposed to be used for. Not the other way round."

She smiled grimly wishing that she could believe this but she couldn't help but have Yuri whispering in her ear telling her that she had been blessed but she had also been cursed because she was unappreciative of the great gift she had been given so she was now forever cursed with only giving death opposed to life. She wished that there was something that she could do with this gift of hers, maybe if she put into more practice maybe she wouldn't be freaking out so much. But the only thing she could think of using this gift was as a doctor. She never had a medical mind...

"But that's what happens." She replied.

"I know. Perhaps it was because on that particular day...You were scared."

She cast her eyes to the ground and thought about this. She had spent so long blaming herself for her mothers death that it was impossible for her to think that it was anyones fault other than her own. She knew deep down that she should have tried harder in trying to think of herself in a better light. She knew that she had to start having a better sense of self worth.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she was scared. That was the only reason why they all were able to use their powers without realising. It was when their emotions got the better of them and fear was the greatest emotion to control them. Fear was always something which could take over since it was able to strange you, entrap you and take over when you were most vulnerable. There must have been something which happened that day which caused it to set it off...

"Momiji. I never than-"

"Of course you did." He whispered.

She smiled and shook her head. "No I really didn't. You have no idea what you've done for me. You've given me a reason to feel like less of a monster than I've been led to believe. Yuri...Yuri always told me that it was my fault. That there was a reason why I had to be kept away from the world...Yuri told me that I could never be loved and never be capable of being able to love in return because of what I could do."

He took the hand that he was holding and held it to his chest and took her cheek with his other and stared intently into her eyes. She felt her heart beat quicken a little in her chest and her eyelashes flickered. She thought for a moment...

"You deserve so much more than that. You deserve...the world. You deserve to have a life now, Rosalie. If I could I would give you that and so much more..."

~ (***) ~

Momiji sat down and looked down at the blank piece of paper. It was time that he let it out now. There was no other way he could get past it now. There was no way he would be able to deny all those feelings had for her anymore. Those feelings that he always had for her. It was such a part of him it would be like denying the fact that his eyes were brown or that his hair was blonde. He was still afraid though. He wondered if any good would have come of this. If doing this would be, in any way, productive or would help him be able to deal with it all. She would never read it. Any hope of the contents touching her heart would never be fulfilled but he knew he had to let it out. Somehow he had to let her know if she would find it one day. Even if he would no longer be here to know that she had read it. Even if it wasn't her who would read it, he still had to make some form of a declaration for the feelings he had for her. He feared that if he would tell her now, it would break the illusion. That it would destroy it completely because it was that delicate. He stared back at the piece of paper yet again and smiled. This was what he had to do now. He should have known that this was what he was supposed to do all along. He smiled and brushed his hand against the paper and began to write.

_Dear Rosalie,_

_I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time, but I wasn't sure of what would be the best way to tell you all of this..._


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket and I do not own Swan Song by Bane.

Chapter Thirty-Three

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_This is a promise I made to you_

_I'll be right there_

_I'll be right next to you_

_All your horrors they multiply_

_And you realize your fears_

_I'll block your ears with both of my hands_

_Kiss away the tears_

_**Bane, Swan Song**_

~ (***) ~

Rosalie stared down at her food for the entire meal, she ate very little of her meal as well. She looked like she was about to vomit, however Hilda knew better than to say anything in this house. Especially with Faron and Rosalie's bad temperaments. She didn't say a word since she came back. Erik, unlike Hilda, knew this was enough to suggest that either something bad had happened at this little family get together or something which didn't agree with Rosalie happened. Even when she walked through the door she would usually call out and say 'hello'. She didn't feel like speaking to anyone at the moment. She almost felt like she wasn't going to talk to them for a while. A small part of her wished that they weren't there. She didn't even want to have to talk to her Nana. She couldn't imagine wanting to face anyone at the momentShe felt completely and utterly guilty because of what happened back at Kureno's apartment. She couldn't believe she even dared to think it. She knew that Arisa was worried about becoming a mother but even considering that her killing her child being able to resolve her problem was wrong. What had that child done? Nothing. All children were born innocent. It was only until the moment when they really stepped out into the world when they began to loose their way.

"Sooooo What did the baby look like?" Erik asked over dinner.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at him and continued with her meal. "First off, she was announcing that she was pregnant not that her child was born. Second, why are you interested?"

Erik put up his hands in mock surrender. "Just making conversation."

"Since when do you make innocent conversation?"

"It's called showing an interest."

"Yeah." She retorted sarcastically.

"Will you both stop bickering with one another." William murmured as he read the newspaper.

That man's nose always seemed to be glued to one of those things...

"I can't imagine being pregnant...Ew.." Hilda shuddered.

_Well that won't be a problem considering that you're a lesbian..._

Although when Rosalie decided to only think this, Erik decided to actually say it out loud. As he did with everything.

"Well you're batting for the left side, so it really shouldn't be something you should be paranoid about."

Rosalie closed her eyes knowing that this wasn't going to end well. Or this was going to end up messy. Like dinner all over the room messy. She didn't know why Erik found it incapable of keeping his mouth shut sometimes. It wasn't that difficult to not make a homophobic comment. She knew that Hilda was one to fight hard and when she began fighting there was no turning back. She fought with her bare fangs and with her claws. That was just the way that she was. Even Rosalie was beginning to see the lesbian tendencies in her but really at the same time she could see that she wasn't going for any stereotype, which she thought was king of awesome of her. Not a lot of people were so open minded about this kind of thing. She never had a problem with it and she was never going to have a problem with it. Even using the word problem in that sentence considering what it was about made her cringe. She knew that this was going to cause an epic war as a result of Erik...Just being Erik. Hilda looked as if she was going to kill Erik. If she was in her position she probably would as well. William said his name sternly. Faron gave him a glare and Rosalie protesting claiming that she was trying to eat (only because she wanted to lighten the mood) earning herself a little glare from Hilda (therefore it failed).

"Why are you both making such a big deal? I mean everyone else knew..."

"Except us."

"Well I can see that."

"It's just...You seemed more the type to be a gold-digger. No offence. You the types just sleeping with middle-aged married men for their money. No disrespect." Erik quickly added. "That...I just had no idea that it was older, middle-aged women were your type."

"Why always middle-aged?" She demanded.

"Because of the two M's." He answered hesitantly.

She raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

_This was not going to go well..._

"With middle-aged peoples comes money."

_Oh Erik..._

She swore that a chopstick was being thrown about in the air aiming for Erik's eye. He was able to dodge it in time and unfortunately the electrics went causing the house to go into disarray. They all looked at one another for a moment and thought how was going to be the first to say something.

"Now I really think-"

"Oh come off it, William." Faron snapped. "None of them can control themselves."

Rosalie put down her chopsticks knowing that was almost tempted at using her own for a moment but as soon as they were out of her hands the temptation would vanish in an instant. Rosalie looked up, knowing that this was her turn to give the death glare to someone, with that someone being Faron. They were able to control themselves until they arrived. He could have the exception of when Erik almost caused a blackout but still...She wasn't blaming Hilda's sexuality for all of this happening but one had to be careful about what they said to Erik. Once something was in his mind, whether it was a secret or something which was common knowledge he was going to go on about it, he was going to twist it. Then again she had to admit, sometimes Erik himself needed to be given more time between when a commend was passed down from the brain to his mouth so that he could re-think what he was about to do. If he was allowed such time he may not have gotten into trouble as often as he did. Unfortunately they didn't live in an ideal, perfect world. They lived in the real world.

She got to her feet. "None of them?" Rosalie demanded. "What's that supposed to mean? I haven't hurt anyone yet."

"Have you come into skin contact with anyone?" Faron inquired.

She stared back at him. "Yes. So there you have it. I'm not so much of a flight risk as you would all like to think that I am."

Faron blinked and shook his head. "I never wanted to think of you- I didn't mean for it to come out like-"

Faron stopped talking for a moment and cast his eyes to the floor. There was a look of shame in his eyes which she knew he didn't want her to see. But there was something else that he didn't want to her to see. Something which she caught a glimpse of, only for a moment. Regret? Shame? Guilt? She wasn't sure what to call it because she wasn't entirely certain that it was there in the first place. Rosalie felt as if a shiver had wrapped itself around her like a cold blanket which she had hoped to make her feel warm on a winters evening. It was the way he was looking at her as well which unsettled her. He was looking at her as if he was trying to say that he was sorry for everything. Not just the things he had done, was doing and was going to do towards her. But for anything else that he might have done and might do to someone else. He was begging her for forgiveness simply for who he was. But that was just a feeling. She couldn't think of any reason why he would want something like that from her. Not that she could think of a reason as to why she would grant his request either.

"Is there something going on here?" Erik demanded.

"Erik, you've done enough damage this evening." William chided. "Stay out of it, please."

Rosalie quickly turned her head in his direction with a question mark on her forehead. Was there something he wasn't telling her? There was something in his words which denoted that he knew something but he also knew that she wasn't to know. Not yet anyway, if she was ever going to know at all. There was almost a hint of understanding there as well. There was something which she felt as if he was familiar with. More familiar with what Faron was hiding and what that was doing to him emotionally as well as psychologically but she knew he wasn't going to tell her. Neither of them were going to tell her. She turned back to Faron to see if there was a reply in his face but she could just see him looking down at he ground like a ten-year-old boy who had just been told off by his nanny. He knew that he couldn't tell her. She knew a possible reason or at least one of the possible reasons for why he was remaining silent. Yuri. There was something within this secret which would risk his life and his good graces with Yuri if he told her. She gave out an exasperated sigh, not knowing what to think any more. She had enough of this life but she knew there was no way that she going to get out of it.

"I didn't mean any harm." Erik replied.

"I think we are all aware of the intention behind your comment." William murmured.

"I just don't understand why I have to be blamed for everything."

"Because you are to blame...for most things." Hilda roared but sounding a little bit uncertain at the end of the sentence.

There was a knock at he door which William got up to get so that he could at least get out the room. If she were him Rosalie would probably do the same. She glanced back at the argument with Faron trying to play referee when really he looked like he wanted to kill Erik himself all that stopped when they heard William greet the visitor.

"Isabella?"

~ (***) ~

Kakeru was glancing through the newspaper when Yuki came in. He looked like he was carrying the entire weight of the world on his shoulders. He smirked knowing this was the usual behaviour for someone such as Yuki.

"Hey, you. What's the problem? Is Machi giving you a hard time?" He asked conversationally.

Yuki leaned his head back and sighed. "Can you ever open your mouth without sounding rude or obnoxious?"

"I'm being neither. I know there's something on your mind, so you better spit it out."

"My cousin is expecting a child." He replied.

Kakeru frowned. "I thought you said that your cousin already had one? So soon?"

"No this is another one. Kureno." He added.

Kakeru nodded although Yuki knew this went completely over his head. Not just because he was like that with people but because Yuki had so many cousins, to be honest he couldn't blame him either.

"So what's the problem? Aren't you happy that the family is expanding?" He teased.

"I am. It's just...I can tell that this has caused a bit of tension amongst everyone in the family."

"What do you mean?"

Yuki cocked his head to the side. "Well...I really only noticed it particularly in two people there. I mean two people in my family. It's actually his wife that seems a little anxious about it all. I noticed it for a moment that when everyone was bombarding her with questions she looked like she was being overwhelmed or that she was already overwhelmed and all the questions only made it worse."

Kakeru shrugged his shoulders. "That's how it is with most first time mothers. It's always difficult. There's always a little bit of fear there. It's either the soon to be Mom or Dad that's going to be freaking out. One or the other. Eventually they get through if the other loves them enough to be there for them."

Yuki raised his eyebrow. "That's quite...unexpected. Coming from you."

Kakeru chuckled. "There's not just sawdust up here." He replied tapping his temples.

"Obviously." Yuki retorted.

"So what about the other one?"

"Hm?"

Kakeru blinked at him. "The other one. You said there were two relatives which looked concerned about the whole thing. Is she secretly in love with the Dad or something?"

Yuki narrowed his eyes at him. "No. She's...she's the cousin that came over from Europe recently. You met her. She threatened to use you as a punching bag."

"Ah...That one. Why would something like that concern her? You said before that she hardly knew any of you."

"Yes, well...She is part of this family. Maybe she has a thing against having children?"

"That wouldn't surprise me."

He gave Kakeru sideway glanced and remained silent for a while. Then Kakeru thought of another reason.

"Or maybe she saw what you saw in the soon-to-be mother's eyes."

~ (***) ~

Rosalie glanced at the others and wondered whether they had noticed what was going on at the door but saw that Hilda and Erik were still ensuing in their argument. Faron was glancing at Rosalie every now and then which made her feel strange. It was just they way that he looked at her which made her uncomfortable if anything. It looked like he was torn between ripping her limb from limb and taking her in his arms.

_No, he couldn't have those feelings for me..._

She got to her feet and walked to the door and saw two familiar faces. One was a woman a few years older than her and the other was about a decade younger than her but she looked like she was going to be taller than her or at least the same height as her by the end of the following year. One was pale, the other was as tanned as Hilda. The younger was blonde, the other was brunette.

"Isabella." She greeted.

The tall woman cast her amber eyes at her and smiled faintly. "Rosalie. It's lovely to see you."

"Don't tell me you're here to join the circus." She joked.

Isabella frowned, unsure as to what she was getting at. "Isabella and Thora came here to visit."

Rosalie glanced down at the younger girl and smiled. She cast her bright blue eyes at her and a moment later she wrapped her arms around her.

"Thora missed you." Isabella explained. "We're only here for a few weeks."

Rosalie nodded understanding all too well why she may have missed her. She was her protecter. She had to admit this was something which she considered and even stopped her from leaving. She knew the moment she would leave there would be no one to protect Thora. Everyone else turned a blind eye to all as they did with Rosalie. It was funny, only a few moments ago she was wondering why so many secrets were being kept from her but she knew the one secret which this little mute girl kept within that silent soul of hers. She didn't even have to utter a single word for Rosalie to know. She knew that look all too well considering it was the look that she had seen in the mirror for years on end. It was the look that no one else ever saw. Not even her father. Ever since the death of her mother the girl had remained silent and as every week passed she began to see her more often at their own 'main house'. After seeing the look in her eyes she knew that she didn't need to see her arms or her back to know that there weren't just internal scars. She would begin to make excuses for Thora and would pull her aside whenever Yuri was walking down the corridor before she could spot her. Yuri very rarely touched Rosalie now. She knew she was at the age when she could easily go and mention these abuses, whereas it was easier to intimidate a child into remaining silent upon such matters.

When she said this she tried to catch William's gaze who seemed uncharacteristically distracted for a brief moment. He looked up again and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yes, of course. Let me show you to your rooms."

Rosalie watched him walk them up the stairs without looking back. She heard a groan behind her knowing that it was Erik but she didn't turn around to acknowledge him or make a retort.

"I can't believe this..." She moaned. "Is every single member of the Laurent family going to be staying here within the month or something? I mean I can't deal with this. This is too much. The whole idea for both of us to come here was to get away from them all. If it was just Isabella and Thora instead of the Stepford twins in there then it would be fine. But all of them? Are you going to say anything?"

"He smiled." She murmured.

"Huh?"

"He smiled." She insisted.

"So...?"

He smiled. Those two simple words which could never really set anyone into a state of unrest were like alarm bells ringing in Rosalie's ears. That was a simple thing to do, she could see his point but he didn't know. Erik just thought that people smiled and that was it. There was nothing to be said about it. If it was declared or if he found out that someone was gay then there was something to shout about. Smiling was an everyday thing, he never thought about what it might mean. He didn't realise. If he knew William better he would know that he never smiled. Everyone knew he was the solemn one in the family. He was their Hatori. He was never happy even when everyone was in a good mood. Even Yuri smiled once in a while. However William never smiled. Not at anyone. There was something going on here. She knew that. Call it female intuition or being able to look into someone else's soul. She could see from the look on Faron's face when he saw Isabella walk through the door. She looked back at Isabella and saw the little glances she cast in Williams direction which he would catch every now and then. Her eyes widened, filled with realisation and shock.

She turned to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "He _never_ smiles."


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirty-Four

For **Kasumi-Chou**

_I will play the swan_

_And die in music._

_**~ William Shakespeare, Othello (c. 1603), Act V, scene 2.**_

~ (***) ~

William climbed up the stairs looking like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Never had he thought that it would come to this. He was always worrying, Isabella wondered why Yuri was always trying to control everyone when they had William to have that constantly on his mind. He even went out of his way of controlling himself. He had seen what happened when there was no control over oneself. She could always tell when he would be especially worrying about _that._ He always walked around like that. Isabella would sometimes think about giving his a massage or whispering something into his ear which might make him feel a little bit better than he was obviously feeling. She knew he was always so serious as she was relaxed. He was cold as she was warm. They were the perfect opposites. She once thought that was the reason why they were supposed to be...He didn't want to think though. She knew that he loved her but he was just afraid. He never showed it, it was difficult for him to express his feelings or he was good at hiding them but she could sometimes tell just by the way that he looked at people. That was how she knew that she loved him. She was able to see through him and into the secret side of himself that no one else could see...

"_I heard it was cold in England."_

She decided to strike up a conversation. Just for the sake of being polite. She knew that it would be a little strange for the both of them and they would both know that they were avoiding the subject that was really on their minds. However she couldn't be having this conversation in front of the thirteen-year-old next to her.

"What's the weather been like?" She asked conversationally.

She saw William shrug. "It's been fairly agreeable."

In reality, he found it rather strange for someone as sophisticated and eccentric as Isabella to be asking him something like this. She was usually above such things such as small talk about the weather.

"Not as bad as England then?" She joked.

_William blinked turning to Isabella who was standing beside him. It was a rather strange question to ask someone if you wanted a strike up a conversation with them, since it was an extremely random question to ask when you were currently in Venice at the time and should be appreciating the weather there rather than dwelling on the dark and murky skies of England. He missed England sometimes. It was actually beautiful there, sometimes more beautiful than the supposed 'spectacles' of Europe or of any corner of the world. He had to admit sometimes he wondered whether he would ever find someone and he would take them back to the place where he was brought up. Someone he really loved. It would like he was letting them into a secret place in his heart which was kept locked up his entire life waiting to be explored by someone. Maybe...He looked back at Isabella. He had to admit he liked working with her. She was the one sensible member of this family, even if they were completely different they got on and appreciated one another for the qualities the other lacked and overlooked one another's flaws. He noticed that she looked almost serene when she was silent. Not so many people could look beautiful in such silence. He had known her for years but didn't notice it until now..._

William looked over his shoulder and smiled. "No. Not exactly. It's quite beautiful there actually. I think you're going to enjoy it here."

"I hope its not too hot though..." She mused.

"Not too hot and not too cold." He quipped.

There was quiet moment between the two of them. It wasn't like they were sharing a secret joke because they were actually sharing a secret joke. It wasn't even a secret joke it was the secret joke. It was the one which could be one of the roots of how this all began. The real reason why she was here. The reason why it hurt so much to be within such proximity of each other not just right now or ever. Just as much as it hurt to be apart from one another.

"_Yes."_

"_Hmmm. We have a breeze blowing about in the evenings but they're always warm, like a blanket being wrapped around your shoulders."_

"_Yes."_

_Her eyes glowed with such intensity when she looked at him. "William...Can you say anything other than one word answers?"_

"_No."_

_She giggled. William didn't like women that giggle, although her laugh was more like a chuckle. There was something rich to it. She looked out the window with a ghost of a smile in her eyes. Not on her lips but in her eyes._

"_Its going to be a beautiful day."_

_William glanced up at her misty-eyed expression and smiled. He liked the way that she looked out the window the way that she was now. There was something almost contentful in the way that she was looking out the window. Almost as if all of this was enough. Or maybe it was everything in this moment which she thought was enough for her._

~ (***) ~

Mitsuru and Ritsu were arguing again. Well, they never argued. They were too nice and apologetic to argue with anyone let alone with themselves. Or more accurately, they were panicking together as they always did. They were seriously lucky to have found one another along with being completely and utterly unlucky as well since they were never going to resolve something but if they were with someone who was the complete opposite they would end up being pushed around or manipulated by the other person. Hiro never understood it, speaking of which he didn't understand why they were here in the first place. Apparently they were sorting through their things since at any moment they may decide that they were going to announce their engagement and thought it would be better for them to be ready for event that they would move in together. He had to admit that they were being incredibly sensible about it, but quiet were they not. He was sure that he heard Ritsu saying, 'Oh that's mine' followed by a 'Oh I'm sorry' then a shrilled voice saying 'No I'm sorry for confusing your clothes with my old ones and I'm sorry for not discarding them' etc, etc Kisa took it upon herself to help them with the packing despite the fact that she had exams to deal with soon.

"Are you not worried about them?"

Kisa looked up and blinked. "About what?"

Hiro smiled at her softly. "The exams."

There was nothing more amusing than the way Kisa approached her exams. Sometimes she approached them with such ease because she completely forgot about them or other times she was panicking over them because they were all she could think about.

"I hope so. Although I know Tohru was able to get through them so I'm sure I'll be fine."

_That's true, _he thought to himself. _If Tohru could pass her exams then anyone is capable of passing them..._

"I'm sure you'll be fine." He assured her.

She giggled. "That was quick."

"I'm sorry?"

"To have a change of heart." She explained.

There was a little cheeky smile on her lips which seldom touched her there but from time to time it revisited that place sometimes.

"I just thought...Maybe you are going to be alright." He replied uncertainly.

She looked up with a little bit of amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Then why did you ask whether I was worried or not? Or did you just have a sudden change of heart, Hiro?"

He sighed. He never liked playing games. One of his nicknames at school was Grumpy Face or Mr Serious. Whatever mood his classmates were in. He didn't even go out during break. He was always in the library studying, like it was a bad thing. He always loved Kisa for the reason that she never did this either. She above such behaviour.

He looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "I'd never have a sudden change of heart about you."

She smiled and turned back to her book for a moment knowing that she was probably going to have to intervene in a few minutes considering the noise coming from the other room. She liked teasing Hiro sometimes. Over the past few years she had grown a little bit more confident and now was brave enough to tease him every now and then even when he was the one who provoked others more often that she did. But she would always know that she could be the one who could sway him in another direction if she wanted to.

"I know." She replied gently.

Despite this though, she would never want to manipulate him. She loved him too much. She had seen what happened when people manipulated the ones they claimed that they loved or were supposed to love. Instead they ended up losing their chance at it. Akito almost lost her chance from playing with other people's hearts. She could see jealousy was a good tool to use when you wanted to get someone's attention but it wasn't a good way to heal the wounds caused by two lovers which were supposed to be together. She would never do such a thing to Hiro. He was was willing to sacrifice too much for her. There was a time when he would give himself up completely for her because he loved her that much. He was even ready to face Akito so that he could have her permission to love Kisa. Even when he probably knew the answer already. Now they didn't have to worry about such things. She always had to bear that in mind though. Otherwise if she didn't she wouldn't truly love him would she?

"I hope so." He replied.

She got to her feet and sauntered over to him and he cast his eyes to the ground. She placed a single finger under his chin and lifted his face so that they were looking at one another. She kissed him gently on the lips before she walked down the corridor to see how Ritsu and Mitsuru were getting along. When she found them there was a smile on her face. They had stopped shouting now. They were quiet. She could see that Ritsu had wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed and she was sure she heard him say: I'll do everything I can so that you don't have to be sad any more.

"What is it?"

She saw Hiro was walking towards her. He saw that she was crying and reached out and brushed a tear away from her cheek.

"I'm just glad that everything might be alright now."

~ (***) ~

"_William...Do you really think that we're supposed to be so lonely?"_

She could feel her heart thudding in her chest as she walked up the stairs. It had been so long since she last saw him and she replayed the scenario over and over in her head. She didn't know what would happen, sometimes it was like a Hollywood movie other times it was like a French tragedy. She wasn't sure which it was going to be though. She never knew with William. That was the wonderful thing about him. Not many people would think this when they first met him but he could be rather unpredictable. She knew this moment was coming. It was always going to be here eventually. It was just that both of them wanted to prevent it from coming about for as long as possible. She knew that in every passing second on the plane. She knew she was growing closer and closer to this impending confrontation she would have with him. All these things were inevitable, the only difference between them both was that she was not only willing to admit to that but she was willing to face that head on. He didn't come here so that he could monitor Erik and Rosalie. He came here to run away from her.

"Are you going to be alright sleeping in here? I know it's not what you're used to..." William asked from the door.

Isabella shook her head. "Not this should be fine. Thora and I should be able to manage." She replied casting a beaming smile in his direction.

William nodded nervously. She smiled, he was never nervous around anyone but her. She could see that he was nervous and she knew that it was her fault as well. She wasn't going to apologise for it though. She wasn't going to let it make her feel sad either. She wanted to see him. Thora wanted to see Rosalie which she had no objections to and that was why she took up the opportunity to accompany her here. So that she could see William. Even if he wasn't sure whether it would be wise for them to be in the same room together. She wasn't going to apologise for that. Along with many other things which would always remain between them...

"_What do you mean? We have a house full of people."_

"_No. I mean...Do you think we shouldn't be able to love someone? Someone we choose to love rather than who Yuri thinks is appropriate?"_

_William glanced up at her and met her warm but intense gaze. He had never really given it much thought. He was never the romantic type. He had been told that he was always too serious for such things. He always knew that if Yuri required someone in the family to marry for convenience it would be the case of him being the top of the list. After all he was one of the very few members who was willing to obey._

_"I never thought of it...What makes you think that we're lonely in this respect?"_

Erik walked past their room and glanced over Williams shoulder to see if there was anything interesting going on. Even though, the whole event of them being here was intriguing enough at it is...

"Erik stop being nosey." William chided darkly.

Erik jumped back a little. "How did you-"

"Never mind that. Go to your room." He replied sternly.

Erik held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright. Alright. Chill...Not that you're already good enough at that without your little iceman po-"

"NOW."

"Okay."

_She turned to the window and looked out onto the streets below. She liked watching the world, it made her feel like she was almost a part of it, even though there was always a layer of glass to separate them from the rest of the world. It was claimed that it was because the world wasn't good enough for them when rather it was because it was too dangerous for them to be in the world. She knew from the powers which they had, the gifts that they were given, that sometimes, maybe it could be too much for the world to contain. Although there came a time when she began to think that in this little world that they held together was eventually going to break from the magnitude of the gifts which they had. They were to be shared not to be hidden in the darkness as Yuri constantly did. He didn't know this but Isabella saw a couple walking in the street. They looked so happy. She was told by her mother as a child before she died that when you found the person that you loved you suddenly felt like a whole, or that you realised that had been existing as a half to another. They looked like a whole. She knew since her mother died that she wanted that more than anything. She didn't want to be alone any more..._

"I hope you don't scare him too often, William."

He turned back to Isabella who looked half amused and half concerned. He shrugged his shoulders as he walked over to her.

"Well Faron's taking up most of that priority now. It's the only way too keep him in line, Isabella." He reasoned.

"You don't have to stoop as low as..."

She stopped knowing she was going to say something dangerous. Not only dangerous but also she knew it would hurt him more than anything to compare him to...She couldn't even say the name. Not even in her head. It was a name which she knew in this family was the greatest insult one could be given and the actual head of it didn't even know it.

"As who?" He insisted.

"You know who." She murmured.

"_I think that if you don't have someone who can know that secret part of yourself, that true version of yourself then you really are lonely. There isn't someone you can connect yourself with and your isolating yourself from everyone. You're always pretending with everyone. Family. Friends. People you work with. But with the person that you love, your soul-mate whatever you want to call it, you're really yourself with them."_

"I thought you could tell me everything." He teased.

"I guess not everything." She replied. "As it seems."

He stopped her from packing any more by taking her wrist firmly in his hand. "You shouldn't think that."

"You ended it William."

"I knew it was too dangerous."

_She glanced over at William who now had his eyes closed. He was thinking about what she said. She walked over in swift strides, without any hesitation and gently places her fingertips under his chin and tipped them upwards and brushed her lips against his. His eyes fluttered open as he felt that tingling sensation and looked at her passively. He reached out and brushed his fingers through her hair and said nothing. He didn't have to._

~ (***) ~

Erik and Rosalie knocked on the door hoping that it would be the right house. She always hated having to find someone's house. She was never good with directions but she was always better with being escorted for the one and only time and then it should stay in her mind. Or with maps. She was good with maps as well. Thankfully this time round she had been escorted and with someone who knew the way here the first time she came here. It was quite a while ago though, increasing the chances that some crazy cat lady could be answering the door rather than a twenty-something year old student who seemed to be as much as a Lethario as Erik. They were both wanting to get out the house considering the amount of Laurents there were under one roof. Even a couple was enough to have in one house. So they knew they had to go to someone's house. They thought that the main house would be a good choice but she reminded Erik that William would be able to find them there easily and would probably be his first guess. So she decided it would be best to go to Yuki's only there was a note to say that he went to Kakeru's.

"I've been here once." She reassured him. "I just hope I remember the way there..."

"Well considering that your sense of direction-"

"Isn't bad." She interjected.

"Alright then." He sang, feeling a little bit amused at the fact that he could annoy her easily. "I hope Faron didn't decide to follow us."

"Now you're making me feel nervous." She said as she rang the doorbell.

"You should be if he's in the same country as you."

"Why hello." A dark haired young man greeted when he opened the door.

"Kakeru isn't it?" Rosalie replied rather than saying a polite hello in return.

"Yes, you're at the right place. Whose this? Your boyfriend?"

"Ah if only she was so lucky." Erik replied patting her head.

She narrowed her eyes at him finding that she was strangely, not insulted but just a little creeped out by this whole situation.

"Erik what did we talk about before we arrived here?" She asked.

"That I shouldn't talk until you introduced me. But you should have done that by now. Really." He replied.

"Fine. Kakeru this is my cousin, Erik. Erik this is Yuki's friend, Kakeru. Speaking of which is he here?"

"Rosalie?" She saw Yuki approaching the door with a look of surprise on his face. "I thought I heard you. What are you doing here?"

"We had to get out the house." She explained.

"Another Laurent's arrived." Erik added. "So we need a place other than there to be in order to allow everyone some space. Since we came here under the impression that we wouldn't have to spend so much time with them."

"You guys aren't hugely into playing happy family's are you?" Yuki observed.

"Well the Laurent's aren't the warmest of families." Erik replied.

"Well, well you best come in. The more the merrier." Kakeru said pushing them inside.

They took off their shoes before they were yet again pushed into the living room. She was beginning to see that this evening could go spectacularly wrong considering that she was now thinking about how similar in character Erik and Kakeru were therefore making them be in the same wrong with another handful of people could only result in an injury. She could have said this about him and Momiji but they weren't completely and utterly the same. She seemed to notice that this guy liked to push people around, no pun intended. She wasn't the one to appreciate puns like that, especially ones as lame as Erik's...She glanced at Yuki with a _you're-friends-with-this-guy _look on her face. He gave her an apologetic shrug of the shoulders and pushed Kakeru off her where she nodded appreciatively. She felt bad that she hadn't seen Yuki in a while. She knew it partly due to the fact that he knew the truth about the Laurent's but now that she had Momiji she was sure that everything was going to be alright between her and Yuki. She wanted everything to be alright between the two of them. Rosalie spotted Kakeru's girlfriend, Machi and some other girl with dark hair and bright eyes. She had the face of a child and the moment she saw them both they seemed to light up.

"Kimi's never seen such beautiful people other than the Sohma's before." She greeted.

Before Rosalie could make some sort of retort Erik swooped past her went down on one knee and took 'Kimi's' hand and kissed it.

"And Erik's never seen such a pretty girl before. In fact I believe you to be the hidden cherry blossom of Japan."

Rosalie made no hesitation in throwing her hand against her face making a huge smacking sound which made everyone look up.

"Erik..."

"What?"

"We came here to-"

"Get out the house and I am so glad that I did." Erik said, more in Kimi's direction.

"This doesn't bode well." Yuki commented.

"No it doesn't." She groaned.

~ (***) ~

"We have to talk, Isabella."

"_We can't see one another any more."_

She shook her head. "No."

"_I don't understand."_

"Then why did you come here? Anyone else could have come to escort, Thora. I know that if you didn't want to see me again then you would have let this opportunity slide. So why?"

_William sighed. "Yes, you do Isabella."_

"I just wanted to see you again. I'm allowed to have that aren't I? After what you put me through I'm allow to at least see you. Is that too much to ask?"

"_No I understand what you're saying I just don't understand why...Why do you think this is the right thing...?"_

There was a long silence between them both before he finally replied. "No. I suppose it isn't."

"_We can't go on like this." He replied curtly. "We can't go on loving one another."_

She looked up at him hopelessly and leaned her head against his chest. "Why do you do this to me William? Why do you make me feel so sad and so happy at the same time?"

"_Why not?"_

"I don't mean to." He murmured, running his fingers through her hair. He remembered the smell of her hair. Lemons. That was what her hair smelled of. "You know I don't mean to."

"_It's become too dangerous. People are starting to suspect something..."_

"Then why did you just cast me off? Why did you end it? Do I really mean nothing to you?"

"_Would it be so bad...Is it such a crime for us...What's wrong with how we feel?"_

"No, Isabella."

_He hesitated. There were a million reasons why they couldn't continue doing this any more. Despite that this hurt him more than anything he had ever felt before but he knew this was what he had to do._

"No what?"

"_Everything."_

"Surely you know, surely you knew all along that you meant everything to me."


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

A/S: The last chapter was supposed to dedicated to Cheshire Heart but it wouldn't load that up for some reason. I just wanted to mention that in case someone got confused about that...

Oh and **PeaceLightVictory**? CALM DOWN! All those questions are actually going to be answered quite soon in fact...

Chapter Thirty-Five

For **The SuperHyperEmo**

_There's a little book I'm thinking of writing - 'Swan Song' is what I shall call it. The song of the dying. And my book will be incense burnt at the deathbed of this society, damned with the damnation of its own impotence." _

_**~ Foma Gordeyev.**_

~ (***) ~

"How are you?"

Rosalie turned to Yuki and beamed at him. "Better."

"I suppose you talked with Momiji..."

"About my little secret? And I wonder who told him about that." She said glancing at him. "Don't worry I'm not mad at you. I should be thanking you if anything. If I hadn't told him I would still be as I was..."

"Which was?"

"Lonely." She said simply.

"I can certainly relate to that."

He glanced down at her arm and noticed two things. Two things which would change his perspective upon the situation of her family even further. He knew before that there was something which could and had to be done about it all. If there was hope for the Sohma's there was hope for the Laurents. He knew that after Tohru had come into their lives and had been able to accept and free them from this curse of theirs. She at first loved them for it but then she saw the chains which weighed down on them. She accepted them out of love and freed them out of love. Certainly it could be the same for Rosalie and Erik? He knew that they had the kind of spirits which weren't to be tried down. He noticed that she hadn't every worn many things above the wrist and the second thing being the reason why. It reminded him of the days when he had been locked in that dark room for days on end when Akito thought it fit to punish him for just wanting to live freely. He could really see now how much she had suffered and he knew how it felt to suffer in this way and in the worst way possible. The way where the only way to endure it was to endure silently. He could see the red, angry lines across her arms and he saw that she had noticed that he had seen these marks.

"I didn't do it to myself." She admitted.

"The head of your family?" He suggested.

She was silent for a long time, which in Yuki's experience meant a reluctant yes but you didn't want to admit to it.

"Did you tell anyone about this? Your father?"

She shook her head. "Yuri told me that if I did then...Well my family would be encountering a great deal of problems if I made these abuses publicly known. Anyway Yuri hasn't done it in a while. I'm surprise the marks are still there."

"Looks like we have more in common than I thought." He murmured with a rueful smile on his face.

She blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

He cast his violet eyes to her and she found it difficult with what he was trying to get across to her until her eyes widened with realization and nodded.

"I see. I wouldn't have thought...Then again, I suppose Momiji did tell me a lot about this curse. In some ways it sounds a lot like the way our family is at the moment. I could only dream about being able to find a way of being realised from it."

"Isn't there a way?"

She shook her head. "No. I can only hope for a fairly long life. With the ability I have...Well my father died before his time. He died because the life energy he gave to others eventually began to shorten his own life-span. If he did the opposite then it would lengthen it but how could you live with yourself when you lengthen your life at the expense of others?"

Yuki nodded. "I suppose that could raise a few ethical dilemmas."

They both turned to the other spectacle going on at the other end of the table which seemed to distract everyone else. For the past hour Erik had been flirting with Kimi which of course completely and utterly enthralled her.

"Is he as harmless as he seems?" Yuki inquired.

She sighed and nodded. "Don't worry. He won't be the one to hurt her."

Yuki didn't need to figure out what she meant by this and nodded. "I see."

"I see our family's used to have a lot in common. I do have one request though." She said seriously.

"Oh yes?"

"Don't waste it. This freedom you have been allowed...Don't waste it. I never would. This miracle, this godsend which has befallen upon your family after those long generations of being tied to this curse of yours promise me you'll make the most of the freedoms this world offers. For me and thank that person who allowed you this freedom everyday for that."

"Tohru." Yuki answered.

"I'm sorry."

"It was Tohru who freed us."

~ (***) ~

"Do you have any idea about this secret?" Hana asked Tohru.

Tohru cast her eyes downwards, they had been talking about this for a while. Ever since the new at Arisa's it had been something that was bothering Tohru. Or it had been bothering her since she first met her. She knew there was something like the Sohma's had years before that she was hiding from the outside world. She could tell from that distant look in her eyes that there was something that she was hiding because she was afraid. She saw herself as something to be kept from the world but she was also afraid of hearing the truth. That she wasn't a monster. Hana was more concerned with the fact that Tohru was still here and whether this was the real reason why she decided to stay for so long. It looked like she was spending more time than they planned since the current Dojo Kyo was training at told them that it was alright and that they should spend as much time as they wanted back with their family. Kyo made the mistake of mentioning this to Tohru since she seemed pretty excited about this and had to make a quick call back to say that they were going to take them up on that offer. Tohru didn't know that though. Kazuma knew this though since Kyo told him that and Kazuma then told Hana. Or more Hana knew this.

Tohru shook her head. "No. It's really concerning me though. I want to be able to help her as I helped the Sohmas."

Hana nodded, knowing all about that since she had been with Kazuma. Kagura sipped her drink quietly. Hana glanced at her wondering whether she might know anything.

"Kagura did you know her very well when she was little. Apparently she came here when she was very young..."

"She did?" Tohru asked sounding surprised.

"Kazuma told me she came here a couple of times when she was a child. Especially when her mother was still alive. After her death all contact ceased between Rosalie and the Sohma's. This is the first time she's returned to Japan."

"Did Kazuma say anything else?" Kagura asked.

"Not really. Nothing other than she seems a lot like her mother in talents and looks. There seems to be something strange about that girl..."

"What do you mean?"

"A great deal of energy seems to be coming from her. More than I've ever sensed from anyone." She mused. "More than should be possible."

Tohru turned to Kagura. "Kagura? Does that sound like something...I don't know...You remember? I was just wondering since you're the same age as her..."

"I used to play with her. I do remember that since we were both girls and as you said around the same age. So did Rin. For the time that she was there we were actually good friends...I remember bits and pieces but not a lot."

"What pieces? Sometimes when they're broken if they're put together right they make a whole." Hana replied.

"I remember her being the happiest child I ever met." Kagura recalled with a smile on her face. "It was around the time when Rin had become estranged from her parents so she seemed to want to go out of her way to comfort her. I was a year older than them both so I felt like the one to look after them all the time."

"How did she comfort her?"

"I don't know. Once she just took her hand and suddenly she felt happy again. Almost like she was able to take that all away..."

~ (***) ~

It was late when Hatori heard the knock at the door. He looked at his watch and saw that it was close to midnight. He raised an eyebrow and strode across the room to see who it was. He was about to leave but he knew that he didn't mind. He never really minded working. He was a little surprised to see who it was that came knowing though.

"Dr Laurent?"

The dark haired man looked terrible. Not ill, just terrible. If he was ill he wouldn't have come here anyway. He was the sort of man who didn't like to have outside assistance for that kind of thing.

"I'm sorry to bother you at such a late hour, Dr Sohma. I was hoping if I could speak with you about something...private. It's nothing medical but I thought...considering our similar sensibilities that you might be able to help me with this problem I'm having."

Hatori had to admit that he was rather curious about what was going to come out of this man's mouth and consented. William walked past him and took a seat before being asked. He was shivering. He knew it had been raining for a while but the temperature wasn't that bad...

Unless...

"Dr Laurent have you been looking after yourself?"

William scoffed. "I thought I made it clear that this wasn't a visit to the doctors?"

"No but I thought that this might be something which was caused by your ability, as you call it. The temperature tonight isn't at all life threatening yet you seem to be shivering and you're wearing a coat."

"It's ice."

Hatori sat down. "I'm sorry?"

"Ice. My ability. My element. However you want to refer to it. That is what it is."

"I see. So does it have anything to do with this personal query of yours you wanted to discuss with me?"

William shrugged. "I suppose its beginning to make it malfunction in a sense."

"You make it sound almost like a technical problem one has with their computer." Hatori murmured.

"Sometimes that's what happens with our gifts. Look at Rosalie."

Hatori narrowed his eyes. "From what I've heard though, that isn't entirely her fault."

William tilted his head to the side. "I must admit I do have to agree with you on that subject. Anyway, we're not here to talk about Rosalie's emotional difficulties. I'm here to talk about mine. I...There was a woman that I was with. Only for a while but it seems that I..."

"Still care about her?" Hatori offered.

William looked up and nodded silently. "However there is the problem with the Head of our family. You see Yuri prefers that the choice of spouse should be made and arranged by the head rather than make our own decisions about these affairs."

"I see. So what do you think I can offer? Advice?"

"I recalled that you were in a relationship yourself. And that you had similar problems. I thought that you might be able to help me..."

Hatori sighed. "To be honest I can't. Although it was a miracle for us to be able to finally make our own decisions. So I suppose from my experience all I can offer you is to either prayer for one or take a risk."

~ (***) ~

Satomi knocked at the door hoping Rosalie would answer. The rest of her family were way too weird for her to deal with. Except her Nana. She was nice...She waited for a while thinking that no one would answer until someone else answered the door. She unbelievably tall, tanned, had dark, cherry red hair and the dark eyes she had ever seen. She was...No words. No words...

"Why hello there...Aren't you cute?" The stranger said cupping her chin in the palm of her hand. "And who might you be?"

"Er...Satomi? I'm a friend of Rosalie's." She replied gingerly.

She put her hands of her hips. "Well, she just has so many adorable friends that she seems to be hiding from me. Well, you should come in." On that note she pulled her in and closed the door behind her. No escape now.

"Unfortunately she isn't here." She continued taking her coat. "But you are most welcome in staying here to wait for her. Even if it is incredibly late. Don't worry about the old woman upstairs. Sleeps like a log."

"Hilda what's going on?"

Satomi turned to the girl who turned out to be Hilda waiting for her to answer. "A friend of Rosalie's dropped by."

The dark, menacing figure crossed his arms. "At this time of night?"

"She is a student and she's right there, Faron. Try having some manners for once." Hilda snapped. Her eyes drifted to a corner and zeroed on a little girl. "Thora...Darling what are you doing up?"

She skipped over to her and picked her up even though she wasn't that small but then again Hilda was quite tall. She was like a giant amongst the Japanese population. The girl didn't answer she just looked at her wordlessly and buried her face in Hilda's shoulder.

"Alright, lets get this one off to bed. Please, Satomi."

She gestured to follow her upstairs. Satomi thought it a little forward but it was was between staying down here with that creepy Faron guy or breaking social rules of politeness then she was willing to be a bit of a rebel. She followed her up the stairs with Isabella casting her a sexy look in her direction which made her smile a little. She hadn't been used to being noticed by beautiful women. She only had one girlfriend and she wasn't that much of a looker. She was nice but that was really the only way she could describe her.

"Oh my goodness." Another equally tall woman made her way down the stairs and took Thora out of Hilda's arms. "I had no idea where she was."

"Don't worry. She couldn't really have gotten anywhere else." Hilda retorted sounding slightly annoyed.

"Alright. Thank you Hilda." Her eyes drifted to Satomi. "Who's this?"

"Satomi. Rosalie's friend. Satomi this is yet again another one of Rosalie's cousins, Isabella."

Isabella extended her free hand and shook Satomi's. "Lovely to meet you, Satomi. I'm glad that Rosalie's making plenty of friends here. Do you know her from University?"

Satomi nodded. "Yeah. We're doing the same course."

Hilda tilted her head. "You're studying music too?" Satomi nodded. "I love music."


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirty-Six

For **crunchie 11**

_Thrown out to sea_

_and captized by truth_

_You can cast your cares on me_

_When you can't rely on you_

_I'm lost again and don't know what to do_

_When I close my eyes_

_I'm taken back_

_To better days with you_

_~ **Swan Song, Bury Your Dead**_

~ (***) ~

Yuki took Rosalie's hand affectionately as they walked down the road. Rosalie blinked for a moment from surprise which made Yuki smile a little. She looked like a girl who never had a boyfriend and suddenly someone had told her that she was the prettiest girl in the universe. Although judging from her anti-social tendencies this was probably true. The lack of a relationship history, he doubted that she was even allowed a boyfriend growing up. It seemed almost natural to him to perform such a gesture when others would deem it appropriate. If some people passed them by they would think them boyfriend and girlfriend but if they knew their real relationship some would think it frownable for him to be holding her hand in such a way. He always liked to think that everyone in their family were close so there was point point worrying about such things but this was what came with being part of the outside world. Before, if things were as they were before, it wouldn't matter at all because they were never going to be able to be a part of it. But now, since they all were more or less 'normal' again it almost meant that they had to begin to abide by their rules. After all, it was what they wanted. To be free. Or was it to be human, he wasn't entirely sure of what they wanted out of lifting the curse. She gave him a look as if there might be something wrong with this but he gave her a reassuring smile. He knew that there was the same feelings coursing through her veins so he knew how to assure her that there was nothing to worry about. It was strange to think that they were so closely related. Studies showed children of twins had more shared genes than 'regular' cousins. Now he was beginning to see how they seemed so close.

There was the question of his girlfriend though... Then again, he knew that Machi would have no problems with him holding a relatives hand. She knew that every time he held another girls hand it was only meant in a maternal way, on the girls part. Yuki seemed to see other women as a mother that he could have had, or a better one than the one which he had been left with. She never had any problems with Tohru holding his hand for goodness sake. She was his number one choice of a mother, she always cooked for him with a smile on her face as if she didn't mind so much because it was her favourite activity of the day. First time he did this in front of her, she turned away and decided to let this slide. Or that was what it seemed like. When he asked her about it later she said it seemed more like he was holding hands with an aunt or mother, which seemed to make sense since he had always seemed to love her in the maternal sense of the word. Although he could see with Rosalie that she wasn't used to holding hands with people either. Then again with her _curse, _as she liked to call it, he could see why she would be afraid of touching people when you could take someone's life just with a single touch. The idea of it probably frightened her a little bit. He was sure that after the death of her mother she wasn't going to trust herself with being close to another person ever again. He had to admit he knew how that felt. She just had to learn that this wasn't always her fault when she did this. As far as he had seen she had been fine. She was probably worrying over nothing since there had been no rumours about in Europe of any 'mysterious deaths' occurring around the Laurent family, other than the death of her mother. Still she seemed more than edge about it all. She was even a little bit suspicious when he told her that he would walk back home with her.

She insisted that she would be fine with Erik until they both realised that he had gone. Yuki covered his mouth so that she wouldn't be able to see that he was laughing, he could see the anger brewing in her eyes and could only imagine the terrible curses she was currently casting upon Erik. It was rather adorable really, it was like a brother and sister who were always constantly squabbling with one another. If they weren't related he would have been sure that he could easily apply the pulling of the pigtails rule to Erik. There was nothing more obvious than a boy who liked a girl because he loved constantly annoying her and loving it more when it actually worked out as he wanted it to. She narrowed her eyes in the direction she last saw him walking in with an expression on her face as if to suggest that this behaviour wasn't exactly unusual for him but it was still something which rather annoyed her. Rosalie was always wondering when Erik was either going to grow up or stop thinking with his trousers. Either one was fine because she knew hoping for both would be asking a bit much of Erik. He had gone off with that Kimi girl, no doubt...He wanted to walk back with her. He knew that if Momiji was there he would have done so himself or would have ordered someone to walk back with her. He seemed to become more chivalrous than he usually was when he was around Rosalie (making his feelings towards her all the more obvious). He wondered whether Rosalie had seen her in a while. She looked like she was missing someone. She even looked a little bit disappointed when she saw everyone there.

"Are you alright? What are you thinking about?"

She looked at him with a distant look in her eyes. She was about to say something really lame and she knew it...

"I'm happy but I don't know what to do with it."

_Lame..._

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? If you're happy then you're happy. There is nothing to do with an emotion."

She sighed. "I'm just not used to being happy, Yuki. I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I'm happy."

He chuckled. "Just enjoy it. I know how difficult it can be but you don't have to feel guilty about it."

"I know...I just don't know...I still feel like there's something else. Someone else that I'm..."

Yuki wrapped an arm around her and smiled. "Don't worry about it."

"I know you certainly don't have to worry about that."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Yuki chuckled. "I'm sure you'll find out soon."

Rosalie decided to let it drop and shook her head showing her submission to giving up on the topic. Yuki was amused by this and continued to laugh at her for the rest of the time that they walked to her house. She looked up as they got closer and saw that the lights were still on.

"If they're still awake on my account then they're more ridiculous than I thought." She murmured.

"Won't they be waiting for Erik too?" Yuki asked.

"Oh no one cares much for him." She replied dismissively.

_And she said that with a straight face..._

Yuki turned back to his cousin and noticed that she was beginning to shiver all over. He reached out to touch her and saw that she was shivering all over.

"Rosalie? Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just cold. I best be getting inside." She looked over her shoulder as she walked towards her house and waved.

"It's been good to see you, Yuki!"

He waved back. "You too!"

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment clutching her stomach. _What's going on with me? What's this sudden-_

"Hey you!"

She found Erik's face thrust against her own to such a proximity that she was sure that she could count the freckles on his face. She didn't even know that he had any...

"How did you get here so fast?" She growled.

"Now, now why did you take so long? You do remember Yuki is your cousin don't you?" He teased.

"That's digusting."

"No that's-"

"I thought I heard voices." Erik and Rosalie turned their heads upwards to see Hilda at the top of the stairs. "You're friend's here by the way."

"Who?"

"Rosalie?"

Satomi appeared behind Hilda who blushed when Hilda winked at her. _Was she...? Was that why she...? Oh God...Well at least there was Hilda here to ensnare her now..._

"I hope you're not too disappointed." Erik commented.

"SHUT UP ERIK!"

"Why do you both have to be so loud?" William asked suddenly appearing near them which always made Erik and Rosalie jump.

"Where did you come from?" She demanded.

"From the living room." He snapped. "You should go to bed, you have classes tomorrow."

Erik threw his head back. "WHY?"

~ (***) ~

Yuri awoke so suddenly in the dead of night some would have thought it was a heart attack which would have awakened someone so suddenly. Yuri gripped on the place where it hurt and inhaled and exhaled deeply for a few minutes. Or maybe an eerie sound from the darkness. Sometimes one heard so many things from that place but then again someone had to be burdened with this tiresome task. Some thought it was Rosalie who had more responsibilities which was true to a certain extent but at the same time, Yuri had more responsibilities and dealt with more things than others probably thought. More than Rosalie thought especially. She remembered the last look which she gave her before she left. There was a look of defiance in her expression that was more than clear enough but there was something else. She was almost looking at her as if she was some petty, pathetic creature which she was leaving behind. She almost saw the ghost of a smirk, not a smile but a smirk. There was something scornful about it as well. It was like Yuri had won so many battles but in spite of this Rosalie had won the war. Which war she wasn't entirely sure of, but she looked like she had won, just. Yuri shook her head knowing that she wasn't going to get away that easily. She would have to do more than cross a continent to get away from her. Anyway, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Something was wrong. Yuri could feel it, there was no denying it when someone could feel it in their bones, it like knowing there was warm blood running through your veins. It was something which was so urgent that it woke Yuri from the deep slumbers of sleeping. There were never any troubles with getting to sleep so the reason why Yuri was awakened so suddenly was rather strange. There were never any problems with being able to sleep but recently Yuri had been awoken so often that she beginning to wonder whether she should call William back from Japan in order to see what was wrong. But he was needed there. If Faron couldn't be depended on, at least William would know what to do if something went array. As loyal as Faron was he was like a dog. No a love-sick puppy thinking patience was going to be the best way to get his Princess. She sneered at the thought of it and clicked her tongue. She had done more than enough to damage his idea of love. She had used him so much to relinquish her own desires that there was probably going to be nothing left of him if Rosalie ever got him. She remembered watching her sometimes as she walked about the Main House. She would just walk down a corridor and turn heads. She had to be aware of it. No one could be oblivious to her affects on others and how spiteful she was about it as well. There was something about Rosalie...Yuri always knew it the looks that she cast that there was a look of indifference and defiance in those looks. There was something else going on with her as well.

Yuri could sense it. Some other her predecessors wouldn't have given it a second thought and would have gone back to sleep but not her. They had let such things slip on the odd occasion but she was was never going to do such a thing. She was going to prove to them all that she was going to be worthy of the place where she sat. She knew the only reason why she was being punished was because of the sins of the mother and father. They were the sinners but she was sin and therefore the one who had been purged in the fire over and over again until she perished but she was never going to perish. She was going to live on to the day when she would prove to them all that she was strong enough for the role which she had been given. She knew something was wrong and she was going to find out what it was. She knew with what Rosalie had probably been up to lately that this wasn't something just to shrug off and ignore. Rosalie thought that by moving to another continent she was going to escape her but she knew the greatest secret that this family held and she knew that because of that secret that she was never going to escape her. She could feel her drift away from her and to another soul and she knew she wasn't going to let her. But this was something else. Something much more worrying for all of them. That was what she would want her to do. It was the same feeling one had when...No that wasn't going to happen. She wasn't going to let it happen. That couldn't happen...Could it? It was like when you heard a noise outside. It was something you should be suspicious of but at the same time you wanted to dismissive of something. Something was coursing through Yuri's body, something which was...It was discomforting. Rosalie was feeling it too. She didn't know this but that was because she didn't know the truth and really she could see why her father hid the secret from her. She knew it would completely destroy her or if not it was something which would change her world completely, maybe it would even bring her back to her. But Yuri wasn't willing to risk that chance. She couldn't let anything bad happen to Rosalie. There was something in both their souls telling them that something was coming. Something which was going to end something. It was the end of an era.

_Surely it wasn't the end of...No Rosalie can't die...I won't let that happen..._

There would be nothing worse than the death of Rosalie Laurent. In more ways than one. She just had no idea...

"Yuri?"

There was a maid at the door looking at Yuri with a look of concern always mixed with the slight fear of the mere presence of the head of the Laurent family.

"Is there something the matter?"

Yuri smiled at this woman's diligence. "No. I'm fine thank you. Although I suppose I should call William..."

The old woman blinked. "The family doctor?"

Yuri sighed. Sometimes one had to wonder whether any of these servants had more than a couple of brain cells. She liked someone who diligently did as she commanded without question which made them easy servants. She liked the fact that she had someone to serve her, to tend upon her every need but sometimes she wished for someone who was a little more intelligent. It made things a lot more faster rather than wasting time asking the most stupid questions with the most obvious answers. Then again at least this woman had the excuse of being a bit old now. She needed omeone who she didn't need to take five minutes with in order to get something done, which made her consider whether it was about time for this woman to be sent away despite the fact of being in the family for so many decades. Faron knew exactly what she wanted with a mere glance. Although he wasn't here. He was away from here doing her will. It was funny, it was almost like he was an empty vessel with no thoughts of his own. He just did as he commanded. Yuri wasn't even sure whether Rosalie needed someone like that. She seemed like someone who could command a small legion if she put her mind to it. The problem was you couldn't simply push her in a certain direction. She knew her own mind all too well. And she was too stubborn. Faron never questioned it. He simply nodded and went straight to the telephone to call him. Whether or not she said William or family doctor. Surely when the family doctor was mentioned then they automatically meant William? It was one of the first things that you knew about when you worked for the Laurent family so that you knew who to call when something happened and you needed medical assistance. She had been ill for a great number of years and therefore always needed William to more or less be at her side whether physically or in spirit.

"Yes. I feel...I wonder if I'm coming down with something. I'd also like to know how the little ones are getting on in Japan."

Yuri almost sounded like a father of the family despite being the same age as Rosalie Laurent. The exact same age, if she delved any more into it she would have known the secret by now. Yuri was aware of the great disappointment on the day of the new head of the family's birth but it was something which could never be helped. One would hope that Yuri had lived to this expectation. Yuri had been able to be a patriarch, a father to this family, no matter how disobedient the flock were. You just wanted to protect them. There were so many complexities of this family and their abilities. Especially Rosalie's. There were so many unexpected things which could happen with her, so many things she would never be able to understand unless she was willing to let someone help her. Someone like Yuri. If she did something which was something seemingly harmless could endanger not only her life but also the rest of the family's also. The same went for Yuri also. It was funny along with their gifts and age there were many other similarities between Rosalie Laurent and the head of the family...

~ (***) ~

_Dear Reader,_

_If you're reading this I am probably dead. No, I am definitely dead. I am only writing this now so that I can have enough time to write everything that needs to be written down and that I can have enough time between when you come back and when I leave. I don't want to be around for you to be able to question me of what I am writing to you now because frankly I think this is more than enough. I suppose I'm only writing this because I have this feeling in my gut that its all coming to an end soon. I wish that it wouldn't have come this soon. After coming so far and finally been close to freedom as I could possibly get it seems that I was only supposed to experience that for a while. I still turn my eye to those recent days when I have been most happy. That I know now, is what has made this all worth it. At least if its all going to come to an end soon then at least I am in a place where I am most happy. It's better to have been able to return home rather than die in a place where it is dark and cold and have no one to turn to which gives you any sense of comfort. I remember when my predecessor told me when he knew when he was dying. I'm glad I was able to hold his hand in the end. Even when he spoke of nothing but apologies but I like to think that I was something of a comfort to him in that final hour. He deserved that much considering the amount of suffering in his life. Maybe at least I wouldn't have to endure that much. I know I'm just making presumptions but I am quite certain this may be the end considering what he told me. He felt lost but at the same time he felt like he had been found again. He had been running from death for so long. Death was supposed to scare us more than anything but when it finds you its like you're greeting an old friend..._


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/S: **SO SORRY FOR THE HIATUS! Basically there has been a wedding, exams and re-editing but now I'm trying to get up to speed with everything so here you go. New chapter! YAY!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

For **Kasumi-Chou**

_You think I cannot see as far ahead as a swan. You know that when swans feel the approach of death they sing, and they sing sweeter and louder on the last days of their lives because they are going back to that god whom they serve. - **Socrates**_

~ (***) ~

It was a strange feeling this overwhelming sensation that she was feeling in her heart. She would stop for a moment and would seem to a passer by that she was having heart burn or even a heart attack. The strange thing was that she really felt like she was actually having a heart attack. She couldn't explain why she was feeling like this. She didn't how she had led these 'episodes' to happen to her. She felt like someone was reaching out and grabbing it for a moment. Tugging at the strings and gripping the core of her soul tighter than even the thought of Momiji gripped her heart. She would look up and see who it was but found only the invisible ghost standing before her. That one friend we could always feel when we think there is something to fear only to remind us that there is nothing wrong with taking caution with our lives. Then this moment would pass and Rosalie would return to her every day life. She would wave to the people she knew from her seminars. She would nod to her Professors and tutors. It was strange this double life which she lead knowing that horrible secret creeping inside her and eventually everything would be revealed and then there would be no turning back. No one would ever be able to forget the truth and then what? What life would she be able to have after that? One of seclusion? What sort of life was that? Was that even living at all? Who knew...

"Hello!" Cried a voice in front of her.

A shadow was cast over her and Rosalie stepped back for a moment at the seemingly young girl. She was prettier than most girls she had met before and her eyes seemed to sparkle like a pair of gems in the sun. She tilted her head in a puppy-like manner when she saw that Rosalie was in some kind of distress and stepped forward again as if to ask her if there was something wrong.

"Are you Erik's cousin?" She asked sweetly.

Rosalie frowned and glanced around. She saw people coming and going from the campus which was the usual story but you tended to be able to see whether they were someone and this girl seemed to be alone and she didn't look old enough to be a student then again this could just be down to her child-like way of speaking to her. She wasn't being as formal as many student here were but then again there was the odd party-girl or boy about.

She nodded slowly. "Yes. And you are...in his class or a friend?"

She shook her head with glee. "Oh no. Kimi is not nearly clever enough for university. Beside's she has enough good looks to find her way through the world."

Rosalie frowned wondering what on earth this girl was talking about and her second thought being whether she should actually escort her to someone to take her home thinking she was much younger than she was presuming her to be.

"Did you just refer to yourself in the third-" She stopped when it finally occurred to her who she was. "You're not Kimi?"

Kimi was a friend of Kakeru's the one person she actually found out to be in worse company than. And she wanted to beat that boy to a pulp more than his girlfriend seemed to on a daily basis. She constantly referred to herself in the third person, which Rosalie had a theory about (she thought that she was doing it to make her seem like some Russian romance where she was some woman with a poor background searching for a rich man to make her his wife and taken care of her financially) but never shared this theory with anyone. Something which she was sure Erik was going to amuse himself with (he always liked people with little quirks like this). She also happened to be the only vain person she had ever met who admitted to her vanity only because she wasn't smart enough to actually try and pretend to not be. She wasn't even able to argue that she was oblivious to it. After the first time she had met her she felt too exhausted to speak with anyone afterwards. Although now it got her wondering why she was asking after Erik. Did he tell her about his family's background? If he did he was in real trouble because the moment he wanted this girl off his hands (three months tops) he was not going to be able to get rid of her. Unless Yuri had her assassinated or put in an asylum. She turned back to the girl who seemed to be looking at her as if she was her own personal saviour. Rosalie's heart sank and stepped towards her.

"Kimi..." She began. Only to find herself interrupted by someone calling her from the library.

"KIMI!"

The young man seemed pleased to see her. No more than pleased. He was happy. He ran towards her with books in the crook of his arm and his hair flying in the wind as he ran towards her until he met the venomous glare of his cousin demanding to know what the Hell was going on...

~ (***) ~

There was a knock on the door making William jump a little. He had been a little on edge for the past few days since Thora and Isabella arrived. She helped prepare the meals and she put Thora to bed as if she was her own child. There was nothing amiss in her behaviour as usual. She was a good guest on top of this as well. Yet there was something unsettling about her presence there. Or more there was something unsettling in the way she made William feel. It made all those feeling which he had for her a few months ago anew when he thought that this move would make them go away. She was like a ghost which kept haunting him because she was always able to follow...

He went to the door to find his fellow doctor standing before him. "Good afternoon Dr Laurent." Hatori greeted.

"Good afternoon, Dr Sohma." There was a long pause between taking in who was standing on the doorstep and then trying to figure out why he was here.

"Please come in." He added hurriedly remembering his manners. Hatori nodded gratefully and took off his shoes as was expected on him also.

"How have you been...Since last we talked?" He inquired.

William smirked. He was being very to the point. "I...I must be honest I am still..."

Hatori nodded. "I understand it is difficult to deal with considering that the...'problem' is living under the same roof as you."

William nodded. "Yes...Quite. I mean I would never-"

"I know." Hatori replied suddenly, cutting him off.

If William was going to be honest he was glad that there was someone there who was trying to get the conversation going. He was being ridiculous right considering what he was usually like. He hated it when people took so long to answer a question. Those horribly long pauses were nauseating. When he was waiting for relatives of patients he was treating sometimes he was tempted to hit them round the head when they got too hysterical.

"I was just checking on whether you were alright." Hatori explained.

William folded his arms. "Someone has to be." He grunted.

~ (***) ~

Rosalie was using every ounce of her willpower to not try to kill Erik. Or at least hit their heads together for being so idiotic. Another thing she was interested in doing was trying to find some way of getting out of this little dizzy spell she was having over all this, considering what she had just been told she considered it quite a big thing of her to ask to take in and it was a lot to take in. For anyone else not really, but for Erik it was.

"I tried to keep it a secret. We both did." He corrected taking Kimi's hand.

She looked up at him adoringly which made Rosalie want to vomit over the bench. She didn't realise that the situation had gotten this serious and it had gone on for this long. Erik didn't seem to mind let alone notice what was completely wrong with the way she was looking up at him but then again this was Erik they were talking about. He made Casanova look like a gentleman and most Dicken characters look like strong, brutal men.

"I can see that." She retorted.

He had done a pretty good job at it as well. They were both the worst of people to keep a secret safely hidden with. She didn't know whether she found it more surprising that they had been able to keep their relationship a secret for this long or whether they were able to keep a secret for any length of time. She looked back at Erik to see whether this was just some joke or whether he was being as serious as he looked and sounded.

"Look I know that you maybe taking this badly right now. But I want you to know that I did actually feel really awful about the fact that I kept it from you for this long. I just knew that it's not exactly easy to be able to admit to anything like this in our family."

She tilted her head in consideration and then nodded. He had a point there. If she was him she would never have told him either. Despite how close they had become over the past few months. Unlike Hilda who was making no secret of her new relationship with Satomi.

"True...Erik have you even considered this on the...long term?" She asked uncertainly glancing at Kimi wondering whether there was actually any point in asking this question.

He smirked. "Well you know me...Anyway there's no point."

She frowned. "What do you mean there's no point?"

She looked in Kimi's direction wondering how he was able to say this in front of her and who she was able to ignore this conversation so easily.

He scoffed. "No one can see the future, Rosalie. So just think about the extents of me being able to projection my own perception of my future."

She always knew that Erik was the kind of person who believed in living in the moment simply because he had nothing else to live for. If this was the case then she knew that he was pretty close to the truth here. She knew that there was no way he was going to be able to dwell on the past like she had done and had been continuing to do for so many years. And he was never the ambitious type so he was never a type to prepare for the future. He was someone who lived for the moment.

"You've got to be smart about this, Erik. Think. If you love her-"

"Then don't make presumptions." He interjected.

She pulled a face. "What are you talking about?"

"You were about to make presumptions about the feelings I have for Kimi. You were about to give me some advice about what I should do in this situation when frankly I think you aren't really in a position to lecture me about how I should express or control my feelings."

Rosalie leaned back a bit seeing that Erik was starting to become a little angry. Erik was never angry whereas those such as William and Faron were the only ones in their family who she shouldn't try and anger.

"What are talking about?"

He raised his eyebrows. "You really don't know? You're really not aware of the affect you have on people? Thank goodness Satomi has started going with Hilda otherwise goodness knows where she would be now if she was still fawning after you. I mean look at Faron for crying out loud-"

She scoffed. "Faron? You're not serious?"

She looked back at Erik seeing that he was more than serious. Something washed over her which made her feel like her stomach was being turned inside out. She felt like she was going to topple over. Her brain was malfunctioning. _Faron?_

He raised his hands. "I'm not going to mention the third party who is also chasing after you but all I can say is that you will need to make your mind up. Or hope that Faron finds someone else although I doubt that considering that he has been trailing after you for so long."

She shook her head. "You know I really don't have a clue about what you're talking about."

"Exactly." He turned to Kimi and took her hand. "Come on. I'll see you later." He said to Rosalie although he didn't exactly sound enthusiastic about it.

Rosalie watched them with an aching heart. She felt her eyes begin to tear over. She felt herself shake against the coming summer wind. She felt afraid of what it may bring. Of what it promised because now she could see that there was a great risk in hoping so much. She saw that there was something between them that she knew she could never have because of that horrible anxiety which was weighing her down again. It was that fear which she was afraid would come back to haunt her. It was the reason why she returned to Japan. The great, overwhelming fear of being left behind.


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirty-Eight

For **devine42**

_The dying swan, when years her temples pierce,_

_In music-strains breathes out her life and verse,_

_And, chanting her own dirge, tides on her wat'ry hearse._

_~ **Phineas Fletcher, Purple Island, Canto I.**_

~ (***) ~

Arisa yawned when she woke up that bright morning in the end of summer and upon the eve of autumn. She smiled contently and glanced over her shoulder and smiled down at Kureno. She reached out and brushed a few strands of hair from his eyes and he stirred a little but she hadn't woken him up. Suddenly there was a stirring elsewhere and she touched her swollen stomach. She frowned and wanted to say something witty like telling her children to be a quiet in the morning but she didn't want to wake Kureno. The last time she did this he actually came into the room with a worried expression on his face and asked if there was something wrong. She knew that when autumn was to roll around her pregnancy was also going to come to an end and the two little life forms inside her would be read to come out of the oven. Pretty soon after they made their announcement they also got another little surprise, on a scan the doctor commented that both the heartbeats seemed pretty fine Arisa leaned forward long with Kureno asking what she meant by 'two heartbeats'. At first they could have just been talking about Arisa's health being fine as well as the baby's but that was a pretty stupid assumption to make. The doctor looked pretty surprised and glanced between the two of them and said that surely they were aware that they were having twins.

Arisa almost fell of the bed and Kureno looked surprised just for a moment but then looked serenly happy only to go back to being worried since Arisa had fainted for a moment and was slipping off the bed. On the way home he tried using the 'well if we have one of each you won't have to get pregnant again'. It was the oldest trick in the book. The moment at least one parent was freaking out about the fact that they were going to have twins it was the responsibility of the other to-be parent to calm the other down with this argument. She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to be mad at him for a while but she always found it difficult to be mad with Kureno, especially when he was trying to make light of a serious situation. He had always been the clumsy one, the light-hearted one, the one which needed looking after rather than the other way round. So it was rather bizarre that roles seemed to have changed for the moment. She eventually came round to the idea and she even liked the idea of having to have it over and done with in one pregnancy. When she called up Tohru she was overjoyed, so overjoyed that it seemed she was trying to be happy about the whole affair for the both of them. When she told Hana she came round and checked if there were any 'special' energy waves coming from the children since its always been believed that twins were supposed have psychic powers. She was beginning to prefer Tohru's reaction at that point.

She swung her legs out of the bed and made her way to the kitchen to make herself something to drink. She was used to being a little sleepy when she got out of bed but she was feeling rather awake but she at least knew to blame this on the hormones. She had become a caffeine addict over the years however now that she was pregnant she wasn't allowed to touch the stuff. Although yet again she didn't really need anything like that to energize herself. She rubbed her eyes and made herself a baby safe breakfast. That was the hardest thing for her, to actually keep to the diet. She couldn't even count the number of times when she had to spit something out when she knew she was eating or drinking something that she shouldn't and just the thought of Hatori, who was also the doctor she went to (considering he was the family doctor and he didn't charge them) scared the shit out of her. She bounced up and down feeling more energized than she ever had been before, which was what was predicted at this point in the pregnancy. She preferred it to when she was annoyed with everyone or was aching and vomiting everywhere. Although considering that she had twins it meant that she was going to be twice as energized. And those horrible points of pregnancy were going to be twice as bad including the big show. Another thing which started to kick in was that she was feeling pretty...um...frisky to put it by PG terms.

After eating her breakfast she glanced over her shoulder through the door and saw that Kureno was still in bed and grinned. She finished her orange juice and skipped over to the room and leapt on top of him. He was so startled he rolled over but thankfully in the right direction so that he didn't actually roll off the bed taking Arisa with him. He blinked and stared up at the whale which leapt on him and rather than being annoyed he was surprised. He leaned forward and took her be the waist and looked up at her.

"Morning." He said gruffly.

She rubbed his nose against his and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Good morning..."

He frowned wondering what had got into her this morning. The past few weeks she had been complaining how ugly she felt but then he recalled the leaflet he was given and tried to remember what symptoms she was supposed to display this week. He had been having trouble with remembering these things but he was eventually getting the hang of it. When he finally remembered his eyes widened and gave her a look.

"Are you sure that you won't..."

She raised an eyebrow. "What break the bed?"

"No I mean, is it safe?"

She grinned and leaned forward for another kiss. "Positive."

~ (***) ~

Yuki wasn't used to being the one to be chased up on something. Or not any more. He was now the one who had to find out things for himself. When he still had the curse he was nothing but a rabbit being chased by a pack of wolves. He shuddered whenever he looked back at his high school years with all those girls chasing him around but he had to admit he enjoyed the chase after Machi. Mainly because he was one of the few girls in his school who chased after him. Now he was the one to chase others when he wanted to get the heart of something. Although when he found Rosalie knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon he had to admit he was a little surprised but also glad to see her. She wasn't one who came to you you had to go to her. Not to say that she was pompous she was just a bit of an agoraphobic for a reason he now knew but still...It wasn't often when she was the one to come round or more when she did come round no one was usually there. There used to be a part of him which thought that she did this on purpose so that she could say at least she went but she never actually had to do something which she knew she had to do but she didn't really want to do. He smiled at her for a moment but then it faltered when he saw that she was shaking. Something was wrong.

"Rosalie? Is everything alright?"

For the first time in her life Rosalie wasn't going to lie. When she looked into his eyes she saw that she couldn't lie to him because she knew that he was just going to see right through her. It was like he knew her. That he was her but not as much as Momiji was. She shook all over thinking about him again. For weeks since she spoke to Erik about his relationship with Kimi she was beginning to wrestle with Faron, Satomi and now Momiji. She knew that he was talking about Momiji. After walking in the park and seeing him at lectures. Talking to him she began to study his movements, tone of voice when he was with her and she was beginning to see it now. At first she was surprised, a split second overjoyed that he returned her own feelings and then she was frightened. She had lied a thousand times over before. She had lied to everyone the moment she arrived but she was gradually coming to the point where she could no longer lie to any of them any more. She had to start with the truth now. She stepped forward and looked around as she waited for Yuki to let her take off her shoes and go into the living room. She wasn't even going to wait to be asked to come in. She had to get to the point now. She checked to see if anyone was there and she nodded with assurance that they were alone. She had to make sure that no one else heard this conversation. She took in a deep breath and took a seat on the floor.

"I need to talk to you about Momiji."

Yuki blinked at her and then nodded. He knelt down on the floor and put his elbows on the table. He was completely aware of what this was going to probably be about. Scratch that, he knew exactly what this was about. He wasn't one to make presumptions but he knew this couldn't be about anything else other than _that. _He saw the look on her face before she walked past him. She was trying to hide it again, only for a moment, only until she realised that there was no point. It had been going on for weeks and frankly he was glad that it was finally going to be discussed. He knew she had been hiding things her entire life. She had been keeping these small pleasures far from her reach because she thought the moment she touched it it would all be ruined. She didn't think that she deserved anything as beautiful as what lay before her. He knew it took Kyo and Tohru to finally come to the point of admitting their feelings for one another but they were teenagers at the time. They were legal adults now. Rosalie was the worst of the two and she was the older one. She should be the one who was more sure of herself and not the other way round.

"Personally I think this a conversation you should have with him." He replied.

She smiled dryly. "The moment I let him think there being...A possibility for us will be the moment where there will be no turning back. He won't stop until..." She sighed. "Until we're together."

Yuki shook his head. "Would that be so terrible?"

She laughed. "No. No that would be wonderful. But...I can't bring myself to throw such a burden upon him. I don't want to hurt him. We could only have it for a moment, or if we were to try and make it last a lifetime it would have to be in secret. That's not a way to live let alone a way to love another. It should be free and we can't have that."

"Says who?"

She hesitated for a moment. It was almost like she was having difficulty saying it. "Yuri."

Yuki coughed. That was no surprise. From what he had heard which was hardly anything he knew that this Yuri was a force to be reckoned with. If Yuri was mentioned all the Laurents were silenced. There was something about the head of the family which caused such a stir which was similar to Akito. Akito had even mentioned meeting Yuri a couple of times and it was her who was referring to the head of the Laurents as 'cold' and 'indifferent'. Yuki was pretty sure that Akito knew more than she was letting on but then again considering what she was like before it would be no surprise that she could see through someone who she was once like. He had heard this name countless times before and knew that it was someone who was going to stop at nothing for Rosalie to be happy. It was one which was spoke in the same hushed and fearful tone once used when Akito was being mentioned. He glanced up at her and saw the same fear which once shaded his eyes when he thought of Akito. He slid his hand across to hers and looked intently into her violet eyes.

"This Yuri...Who is she?"

"S- _He _is-"

Yuki held up a hand. "Let me stop you there. I think before we continue we're going to have to establish something. No lying. So let's start again. She..." He paused to indicate for her to finish the sentence.

She sighed wishing that she wasn't here but then again she supposed there was no turning back now...

_Five years earlier..._

_It was the in the midst of the early morning when she found out. It was so sunlit one would never have thought that it would sustain a moment where such a terrible secret would be revealed. Although it was bright enough to caste away such shadows. Just looking back it all made sense. She could see that this was the reason why there was so much turmoil in that tormented soul of hers. It was the reason why sometimes Rosalie actually pitied her opposed to constantly fearing or hating Yuri. Hindsight was always the best teacher as it seemed in Rosalie's case. With having these secrets hanging on you for so long the longer they stay the clearer the memories become as knowledge and experience become the best teachers you ever acquire. _

_Rosalie walked barefoot down the stairs to make herself a drink. She never really usually did this. She always waited until she felt like getting out of bed. However for some reason that morning she felt like she really needed a drink of something. She felt thirsty for anything, a drop of water or an ocean of it. She woke up that morning wondering where she was for a moment then when she saw the waves of mountains out her window and yawned and swung her legs out of the bed. The family decided to go to the summer house. It had been years since they last visited it and even though she was stuck in a house filled with people she rather wasn't for another few weeks she was kind of glad of being there. It was a beautiful spot in the mountains of Austria and you could sometimes feel like you were the only person in the world if you stared into the unpopulated distance. There were in a non-existent place very few were able to find, or in their case purchase. Somewhere far from where the rest of the world could touch them. She was sure if the head of the family could really have their own way they would all stay there forever. _

_While she was sipping the last few sips of her drink she saw a dark figure staring out the window in the corridor. She narrowed her eyes to see whether it was a servant or one of the family members and still even when she stepped a little closer she was unable to tell. She put down the glass and hid around the door so that they wouldn't see her. They almost seemed unrecognisable. She knew it was a woman from the shape of her body which her dressing gown was unable to hide. One of the sleeves had slipped down her shoulder showing some bandages around her chest. Rosalie knew that she should have known this person but she was unable to pin down a woman that she knew who resembled the person now standing in front of the window. _

_She was about to take another step but she tripped over a table on the other side of the door which must have been pulled a little too much that it was standing in the doorway. The woman's head instantly shot in her direction. Her eyes dug into hers. The gaze was so intense that Rosalie was barely able to notice the violet eyes and the only person she knew they could belong to. Yuri swiftly moved from the window over to where Rosalie was and grabbed her by her bed clothes and pushed her into the kitchen. She almost looked like an Amazon warrior in her loose dressing gown and her bandages. It was rather than murderous gaze that she pressed upon Rosalie which made her all the more fierce than she usually was. The space between them was almost the same space shared between two passionate lovers. Rosalie held onto Yuri for some support but she was so scared to touch her, she thought the moment that she did that she would actually try and kill her. Not that she wasn't probably already in this danger._

"_You aren't to tell a soul." She hissed. _

_Rosalie was tempted to ask why she wasn't allowed to tell anyone. Why she hid this for the world but she knew better than to question such things. If she was at the age which she was looking back at this memory from she may have had a little courage and perhaps even considered it. However at the time she simply nodded and Yuri released her and readjusted her dressing gown and sniffed._

"_I might tell you one day." _

_She almost seemed to begin but then a long silence drew out after that indicating that she wasn't going to say anything more on the matter. Rosalie watched her walk away and then she was gone almost as if it had never happened... _

Yuki raised an eyebrow when he was finished. "I'm surprised she didn't trying to beat you with something..." He murmured.

"Oh she's done that a couple of times with a belt." She replied as if she was talking about how nice the weather was.

Yuki shook his head trying to ignore the careless tone of her voice. "So...She's the kind of person who likes to exert her control over people like a dictator likes to over a country. Yes?"

"I suppose so."

"Well...Do you think you could perhaps get through to her?" She scoffed. "What?"

She shook her head. "You've obviously never met Yuri. She's what you call a creature of habit. Very set in her ways, violent ways." She added.

"Akito was just the same."

She folded her arms. "I see and let me guess this was the same method you used to deal with your problem." Yuki nodded. "Well let me put it this way, there is no way anyone, no matter how good the psychiatrist is no one will ever be able to get through to Yuri."

"Did you ever consider trying to think of how she became the way she is?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "She's not exactly the type of person you can have a heart to heart with."

Yuki blinked. "Did you at least consider trying?"

Rosalie sighed. "If you ever meet Yuri you will understand that you can tell that there is no point in trying to go down that road with her."

"Not even for Momiji?"

The very mention of his name was enough to send shivers down her spine. For a moment she thought she saw him across the table. He was smiling at her in the same way that he did back at Rin and Haru's house. In the way when she knew everything was going to be alright, sometimes she would go on thinking this for a few days. She jumped a little but not enough for Yuki to notice. He probably thought that she was having a moment of guilt, which wasn't entirely untrue. She tried to only think about it from her perspective. She never even considered about how he would feel about having a secret love affair. He might have been okay with it if he took the 'it's better than nothing' philosophy. However now that she knew from an outsider perspective that he actually liked her she knew better than to put him through something like that. She cared about Momiji enough to not use him as something to satisfy all those earthly needs. If she loved him she would defy Yuri and take him as one would take a husband. The problem was that defying Yuri would be a good way of putting him in danger and she knew enough about the Sohma curse to intentionally put him through that all over again.

This put Rosalie to silence for a moment. "I...I've been a coward for too long, Yuki. There's no point in trying to be brave at this point."

"You've already started being brave, Rosalie. From what I can see the fact that you're half way around the world from Yuri suggests that you're doing something she really doesn't want you to do."

She tilted her head to the side. "Fair play."

"So what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know. I mean..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Yuki be honest with me. Am I talking to the right person here?"

Yuki folded his arms. "Well like I said before...I think you should be discussing this with Momiji." Rosalie gave him a cold, hard stare. "But...I suppose the person we really do need to owe this all to was Tohru."

She smirked. "Of course it was Tohru." She said a little too quickly. Yuki glanced across the table with a look as if to say 'what-do-you-mean-by-that'. "That girl has a smile which could cure cancer." She explained. "So...Where did you say Kyo was training?"

~ (***) ~

_...You see the only reason that this all happened, the only possible cause that I can think of this all happening was because there was a weak link. In order for something to stand everything needs to remain in the place which it is supposed to reside. If a brick in a wall decided it no longer wanted to be part of the wall it was only going to be a matter of time until the wall would crumble down. We could have been glorious in our solitude, so long as that was everything, everyone wanted. But one of us wanted the world rather than being content with a little world which we could have ruled over. There could have been some glory in keeping the gifts which we were given from the world. We could have been able to watch it decay knowing that we had the real secret to achieving happiness rather than those who thought they knew what true happiness was. However there was one of us, the one which was supposed to hold us all together gave up on this dream. She had given up on it too soon and now I must make I leave something behind to answer for the decision I made. I must explain how everything really turned out since I don't know how everyone else who is left behind will tell this tale. I will not be around to verify or reject other interpretations. We could have been so happy if she decided to go against her own selfish desires. I could have said that she was tempted like Eve was by the snake in the Garden of Eden. But nothing is as simple as that..._


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Thirty-Nine

For **PeaceLightVictory**

_Castiel: You got what you asked for Dean. No Paradise. No Hell. Just more of the same. I mean it Dean. What would you rather have? Peace - or freedom?_

_**~ Supernatural, Swan Song**_

~ (***) ~

Rosalie took in a deep breath as she waited for him to arrive. She was sweating and shaking all over, she was glad that she wasn't the one driving she could relax in her seat for the entire journey being a nervous wreck without the added anxiety of crashing the car. She had never driven a day in her life anyway but she could imagine herself being a terrible driver. Heart pounding, something was about to burst maybe a vein or her bladder either way it was going to cause a mess and that was the least of her worries for some reason (the car was really expensive and you could tell from the cleanliness of the car). To be honest she really hoped that she was going to go with someone since she had never learned to drive and she didn't want to have to catch public transportation or anything like that. She really wasn't in the mood to be surrounded by complete strangers considering the nature of her visit. She knew though that this was the Heaven's trying to tell her something: _Instead of wasting petrol, spare the environment an extra few seconds from all those toxins being released into the atmosphere and deal with it here and now. _But this time she chose to ignore the Heavens and as things turned out it was best for her to ignore the Heavens since in the long run it was the best thing to do considering the outcome of all those small decisions she made leading her to the final conclusion of that sector in her life.

She usually listened to her gut instinct (the Heavens, her conscience, her guts, it was all the same thing, they all screamed at her more loudly than anything else). Its the saying 'it all turns out well in the end' which really applied but she just didn't know at the time. She never really a cup is half full kind of person, she always prepared for the worst. It was the most sensible thing to do but lately she hadn't exactly been listening to her senses. It was what happened when you fell in love. All up to when it all ended she thought everything couldn't be worse than a split-second later she was always proved wrong mostly because that was just the story of her life. She was right (or she thought she was) about musical and literacy tastes but everything else was just like trying to read Chinese. She was ever the pessimist, except when she was with Momiji. He seemed to light up a room like a light bulb. More than that, it was the same light which crept over the horizon at sunrise. It was comforting and beautiful. Although that was never a good metaphor to use since those eventually went out and Momiji's ever going optimism never seemed to go out. At the time she knew that there was no going back at this point when she saw Momiji packing his stuff into the car and then sitting down in the drivers seat.

For a moment everywhere began to ache. She couldn't breathe and she knew what this feeling was, that wasn't what wasn't frightening her. It was the possibility of him being within such proximity now that he would be able to tell how she felt. The change in her behaviour would be enough to know. She was frightened by the prospect of him being so close to her. She didn't want him here. She wanted him gone but at the same time she wanted to hold him close and kiss her in the places where it ached. She was shaking all over and she wanted to render the problem as soon as possible. Either one of those previous solutions would have done her fine but she was didn't know what would be the right decision to make.

Momiji looked happy to see her and smiled. "So...Ready to go?"

He started the engine anyway and turned back to her. She nodded nervously and he smiled like a schoolboy who was told that he was allowed to go to the sweet shop and drove out. She shifted in her seat and leaned her head against the window.

"I can't wait to see Tohru again."

There was a spark of jealousy for a short moment but then she decided to brush the thought away knowing that she was with Kyo and she knew that she would never leave him for anyone and she was pretty sure that Momiji was aware of that too. Tohru almost seemed to be making sure that everyone was aware of that fact. It was almost adorable, the limitless extent of her devotion to Kyo almost made Rosalie really believe that she was made out of sugar and spice and all things nice, which also happened to be a reason as to why she couldn't hate her for that long either. She was beginning to realise as well that it wasn't Tohru who was the person that Momiji was interested in. Or she was beginning to admit that to herself. She had just been brought up thinking that love was a fantasy or a luxury which couldn't exist next to a life of wealth. It was either a comfortable life or one where someone loved you, you could never have both. Ever. Yuri also brought out measures for her to assure herself no one could ever love her. That she was some horrible, detestable creature which everyone would be repulsed at.

She smiled agreeably. "Me too."

~ (***) ~

Arisa rubbed a hand over her stomach and frowned. She was just having another one of those days. That was what she always told herself, but she had these days so frequently now that she was beginning to wonder whether there really was something for her to be worrying about. The twins seemed to be more and more jumpy nowadays. Then again, she knew they were only going to get worse when they got out of the womb so she better get used it or at least make the most of the fact that she wasn't chasing after them at the moment rather than getting annoyed at the fact that they were pressing against her bladder. They had been kicking for weeks but it was almost like an insistent knocking. The fear of a premature birth began to rise in her throat and shook the thought away. That would never happen. Her children would be clueless and clumsy, or maybe one of her children would be but they wouldn't be stupid, they would be strong, they would carry out the correct measures in order to survive. That was just how they were. She knew that was what they were going to be like. She was their mother. She was terrified of being a mother but she knew never going to be one of those kinds of mothers when she didn't know who their children were.

She was going to love her children unconditionally. She knew she was going to be those types who were going to be more protective rather than laid-back. She would always keep an eye on the boy in case any second he could turn from being a lovable, trouble-making son into a mini Lothario. She would always be banging heads with her daughter and there would be endless arguments between the two of them merely because according to the laws of nature that was how mother-daughter relationships were supposed to go so rather than going against the laws of nature it was best to just ride it out and wait until adulthood when that war would be over. But she knew she would never let it come to the point where she was running away from home or slamming the door in her face and never darkening the doorstep ever again. That would be a bad idea. If her parents treatment of her taught her anything it was to not behave in the way in which a child was driven to go to such measures. If she hadn't met Kureno or Tohru she would still be a pretty messed up, albeit un-pregnant person, but still...She would be messed up.

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She inhaled and sighed when she exhaled. Probably loud enough for Kureno to hear her from the other room and with enough anxiety or stress for him to know that something was wrong. Just a few weeks ago she was so happy, so happy with becoming a mother so soon in her life, so happy with life in general. Now she felt like something was creeping up behind her to ruin it all. Sometimes she didn't want him to know, but more often she wanted him to be aware of it. This was the only technique that she could use and that actually worked which calmed her down these days. Then again breathing slowly was the best cure for any form of psychological ailment, of course excluding those which actually needed proper Electro-shock therapy or a good pill every day to stop you from going psychotic. She wished she was going with Rosalie and Momiji who were going to go visit Tohru. It felt like it had been years since she had last seen her when it was only a matter of months but then again it probably felt that way when there was such a long distance between you and a loved one. She had Hana here to comfort her (or confirm her anxities) when she was feeling uncertain. But she felt that she really needed her right now. She wasn't sure why but she just felt like there was something wrong. That something really bad was going to happen.

She shook her head knowing that this was all just down to anxiety. That and all the bad symptoms one experiences later on in pregnancy. She was beginning to feel the negative effects of pregnancy which usually suggested that the baby was coming soon. Insomnia. Back pain. Exhaustion. Usually meant that the baby was going to come soon and that it was advised that there was a shortage of people calling to their tiny apartment since most of the time she wanted to kill them.

She felt someone wrap their arms around her waist and she smiled. "What's wrong?" He whispered.

His breath tickled her neck and giggled feeling better if for a moment which she knew now was better than no moment at all.

"Nothing. Just being pregnant...Sometimes sucks..." She moaned then giggling again.

He chuckled with her and placed his hand affectionately on her now-rather large belly. "Don't worry." He whispered in-between kisses. "I'm told pregnancies are usually sucky at some point. But it isn't forever."

She rolled her eyes. "Thank goodness, I hope not. That would be awfully inconvenient for so many reasons."

He chuckled. "I suppose." He looked over and brushed his fingers over the frown on her forehead. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

She was still frowning. "Promise?"

"A thousand times over."

~ (***) ~

She was dreaming. At first she just thought that she actually saw her in front of their car in the rain. Yuri was standing in front of the car with her eyes burning in her hers and Momiji hadn't noticed or maybe he did, regardless he ran her over and for some reason Rosalie began to scream as if she could feel her pain. Momiji was so out of it or unaware of what was going on that he didn't even notice that she was screaming. Or more she took on her pain because when she got up with blood dripping down her Yuri held out her arms and she was laughing. She was looking at her as if she was getting what Rosalie deserved. She didn't want to do that to her. She didn't want to hurt her but she wanted to be free. She wanted to be free. She wanted to be on that same hill top as her mother with her hair blowing in the wind without having to think of the chains which shackled her away from such an open sky because it didn't exist in her world. But she knew it was either freedom or peace. Being at peace would have been the easier option but that would mean that she would have to accept the life she was born into and she was too stubborn to do such a thing. She was like her mother at least in that respect. She was proud to have her blood running through her veins, no matter what Yuri thought about the Sohmas.

She knew she was dreaming because when she woke up the sun was shining more brightly than it had in the dream. Also she wouldn't have thought it possible for either Momiji to completely ignore the fact that there was someone in the middle of the road, let alone the fact that they had just run them over. In addition to this Rosalie knew Yuri wasn't a God. Even she wasn't capable of getting up and still laughing at the fact that she had been run over but even when she was awake she couldn't let it go. It was almost like a warning, she knew it wasn't possible but she felt like that Yuri knew what she was doing, she knew why she was going to go see Tohru, even though she was thousands of miles away and she couldn't possibly know the real reason why she was going even if she was here but she just had that terrible feeling someone was watching her, like how God could see into your very soul, that God could see everything and everyone, no one could hide. She felt that way when she knew she was going to do something which was going to hurt Yuri. She glanced over at Momiji who was thankfully watching the road. She didn't exactly find herself screaming when she woke up which was a relief. Most of the time when she still dreamed of Yuri the end result was always waking up to a splash of cold water in the face and screaming to the point that it left her throat feeling raw.

"We're almost there." He said happily.

She smiled. "Good."

He blinked for a moment and was glancing over at her every now and then. He was curious. He was curious about her, at first it frightened her but she had become accustomed to being an oddity as well as something mysterious, especially to Momiji.

"You never told me why you want to go see her."

Rosalie took in a deep breath. She had this all thought out. "Well...I was just thinking that everyone considers Tohru family and because you're all my family...well you've all always been my family and if she means that much to you I should really get to know her."

He frowned. "You don't have to force yourself to get to know her."

"I know...but I can see why you all love her so much. She makes you feel, or even believe that not only that you can be a better version of yourself but that that person is somewhere inside. It's more than a dream its a possibility. I suppose I need a little bit of that in my life at the moment."

There was a troubling look on Momiji's face at the moment and for a split second Rosalie had that agonizing fear that he suspected that she was lying.

"What's wrong?" She asked timidly.

He shook his head and blinked. "Nothing." He replied gravely, turning back to the road.

She tilted her head and gave him a hard look. "Tell me, Momiji."

For some reason she was feeling a little bit maternal with the semi distressed expression hanging on his face. He almost looked like he was going to cry.

He sighed. "I don't want to spoil this trip."

"You're going to be spoiling it even more if you don't tell me what's on your mind. Did I say something which offended you?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly me." He turned back and forth between her and the road and sighed with frustration and gripped onto the wheel.

"Momiji..." She said.

She was becoming scared now. There was either something which he had to tell her. Something which dash her hopes away or tell her that he knew the real reason why she was here.

"I just think that you shouldn't sell yourself short."

She grinned. "I'm not exactly the tallest person in the world." She joked.

"I mean it." He said seriously. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Her smile faded on her lips for a moment. She had heard all the girls in her class talking about dates from the previous night and she would roll her eyes at the things which they would say to them in order to get between their legs or just to get them a kiss if they were lucky. Right now she was beginning to see why they went all head over heels in love. There was definitely a difference between hearing these things being said to another person than them being said to you themselves. She felt her cheeks flush a little and hoped that he wouldn't notice.

"Thank you."

She wanted to slap herself. All she could say was timidly say thank you as if she had been handed a cup of tea.

"I mean it." He insisted. "If it was...If it was up to me there would be nothing to be changed about you. You know that don't you? You know that I..."

She froze in her seat and she thought for a moment that he was going to tell her. He was going to tell her everything and perhaps everything was going to be alright after all. It would all be like a fairy tale. At that moment sense kicked in and she realised that she wasn't living in a bedtime story. This was the real world. If you wanted such a life you had to work hard for it.

"You know I would do anything you make you happy."

She knew she shouldn't have been disappointed about the end of that sentence but he might as well have said 'I love you'. In fact she preferred this sentence than to those three words. Happiness had more grounding than love. Love was something which could be shared amongst those of friends and family. Happiness was something else. Happiness either came in little bits like a drizzle or in overwhelming amounts like a hurricane.

~ (***) ~

He slammed down the phone and was tempted to scream at the top of his lungs. For a moment he was behaving like Rosalie, wishing for another life. Wishing he could run away, but there was no way that she was going to be able to run away from this, not with someone like Yuri chasing after you. William didn't know what he was going to do. He hadn't been trained for this. He was a doctor for goodness sake. He wasn't supposed to have to deal with things like this. He wasn't supposed to have this kind of life but fate decided to He couldn't believe that it actually came to this. He knew now that Rosalie had done something terrible now. He knew she was stretching it lately but not close enough to be taking it a step too far. He didn't know why these measure had to be taken. He argued with her relentlessly but there was no helping it. Or apparently there was no helping it. It had to be done, apparently. Just when things were starting to become agreeable with Isabella. He shook his head at the coldness of the term but that was just the way he was. That was how he saw things. Things were either agreeable or they weren't.

He took in a deep breath and was about to go out the door before he heard a voice behind him. "It's funny, people seem to think that you're this enigmatic character where you're unbelievably mysterious when really...You're easy to read."

"Hilda...Not. Now."

"You can tell when you're angry or sad. Or annoyed." She allowed a dramatic pause to hang between that moment and her final sentence which just annoyed William even more. "Or just scared shitless."

"Don't you have something better to do? If you actually use that time productively..." He added the second part under his breath.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why this family has to be filled with such homophobes. It's quite insulting if anything and I would have thought you wouldn't really care that much."

"I have no objections to your preference just the fact that you allow it to take so much of your time."

"Really? Could say to you that you don't allow yourself enough time for that kind of thing."

"I don't kno-"

"Yuri may be considered the eyes of this family but I can certainly vouch myself as someone who knows much more than she does...I could certainly tell Yuri what you've been up to for these past few months but..." She shrugged her shoulders. "There's no point...No gain..."

"From what?"

"From ratting out on people. It's not like I haven't been able to have any of that in my lifetime so there's no need to be bitter. Really the only one of us who are missing out on it currently or ever is Rosalie."

William gulped and glanced down knowing that it was pretty much impossible to disagree with that statement. It was a trait with William respected her for. Due to her lack of indulge in the concept of romance she was able to excel in every other aspect of her life and seldom angered Yuri which was always a plus in the everyday life of a Laurent. She had kept most people at a distance most of her life but the difference between William and everyone else was that not only did he understand the reason but he also viewed as something rather sensible on Rosalie's part. Most of the time she was the sensible one of her peers but ever since she came to Japan all of that seemed to be thrown out the window. Everyone could see the way she was when he was around, or the way that she talked about him or looked at him. It was the same way he looked at Isabella. He knew the reason and now thanks to the recent news he wasn't going to be the only one who was going to pick up on the reason why there was such a sudden change in Rosalie's priorities. And for Yuri to know the reason why she was no longer keeping to the rules...There was another reason why not many people ventures out their social circles for partners. Yuri wasn't exactly the kind of person to make them your enemy.

"Anyway what's the emergency? I can only think that something so deadly serious can make you so grouchy." She said with a hint of amusement but the expression on her face would be good enough to fool anyone.

He took a deep breath and answered, "Yuri's coming to Japan."

She stopped for a moment and almost looked like she had fallen asleep standing up but then looked up sharply for once looking serious.

"When?"

"Just before Rosalie gets back from visiting that cousin of hers."

Hilda looked away in dismay. "That will be a good coming home present for her."

William raised his eyebrows. "It's funny you should use that expression...considering that being the reason why Yuri is coming here."

Hilda glanced at him knowing that he didn't need to explain. There was only one reason why Yuri was coming to Japan and that was because he was getting tired of waiting for her to back in the course and come back to Venice. Yuri probably thought that this was just a rebellious phase and that eventually Rosalie was going to come running back with her tail in between her legs. However Hilda had spoken to her enough times to know that she was deadly serious.

"What are we going to do?"

William frowned. "What do you mean? We can't exactly say no, this is Yuri we're talking about."

"I know, that is exactly why I'm asking what we're going to do about it. This is also Rosalie we're talking about. She's dead serious about staying here. This is where her family is after all."

William looked over at her squarely. "We're her family, Hilda."

Hilda scoffed. "Only in paper. Come on, William. You've seen the way she looks at these people. You've seen how happy she is here. Content. That's something not a lot of us have the privilege of having thanks to our family curse. If you haven't had the balls to admit to that I certainly know its true."

William glanced over at her with a hint of amusement glittering in his eyes. "I have to say Hilda, this sentimental streak of yours is quite a surprise. Tell me, is it your own little souvenir which you've picked up that's caused this?"

She looked at him squarely for a moment and before he could even realise what was going on she strode over and threw her hand, cutting it through her air and across his face so fluidly that it took a few moments till the intense stinging sensation on his cheek to kick in.

"Don't you dare refer to her that way in my presence again." She threatened through gritted teeth.

William gripped his cheek a little angered but mostly surprised. "I didn't realise you liked her that much."

"Just because you're heartless towards the people you love doesn't mean everyone else has to be." She replied.

William felt the anger rising in his stomach but he decided to take the higher ground and maintain control over it.

"I really have no idea what you're referring to now, Hilda."

"Love or Isabella? Don't try and pretend but believe me I know the real reason why she came here and I know the real reason why you are concerned about Yuri coming here. I know that once Yuri starts sniffing out the person which made Rosalie decide to stay everyone else is going to be treated the same. The sad thing is you actually are being heartless in order to protect Isabella. The intent is good, kind and loving...but that doesn't mean you're being cruel to her as well. You look down on Rosalie and the rest of us like we're fools when really, you're the one who should try and look to Rosalie for guidance. At least she's not being a coward."


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Forty

For **Lillith 06**

_"Observation shows that the story that the dying swan sings is false." - **Pliny the Elder, Natural History**_

~ (***) ~

Tohru was a little surprised by the call which she had gotten from Rosalie the few days before she arrived. On the morning when she knew she was coming she was filled with a sense of foreboding, the same thing she felt when she knew it was all over for the Sohmas. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled finding it a little surprising to see Kyo's messy, orange hair brushing against her fingertips. He was usually awake by now. She never thought that Rosalie would be the spontaneous type to just call up and say that she and Momiji were coming down for the weekend to visit. Not to say that she wasn't grateful she was. The thing was that she was a little too surprised by it all. Even she was able to see through Rosalie's warm smile when she walked through the car and she was never used to being able to read people so well, especially when it was a Sohma. No matter how closely related you were, whether you were in name or not they were always mysterious creatures but there was a look in Rosalie's eyes which made Tohru feel like she was being looked at in desperation. It was almost like Rosalie had found her salvation or something. She was looking for something she finally found it with Kyo and Tohru. Although she couldn't quite understand this considering that she surely didn't have to look very far if she wanted to find someone to be the one to save her.

When she arrived she greeted her formally, thanked her for allowing them to stay and making the time for them to be able to visit. Tohru waved these formalities off with a smile and told her that it was no trouble. She ushered her inside and made them all dinner for the evening. It was strange because for a moment Tohru almost thought that they were adults with children and instead of them visiting for what she could only guess to be questionable reasons, they were having one of those dinner dates between two couples. When she saw them eating together it was clear that they fit well together. Sometimes they would both move a little closer towards one another but there was no longer any of that visible discomfort between the two. In fact they seemed rather content with the fact that they were so intimate with one another. Almost like they were amused at their daring for showing such a thing in public. She glanced at Kyo who only rolled his eyes at the scene and continued with his meal. She knew Momiji loved her but she knew it was as clear as day that his affections were returned. She had a feeling though that Rosalie was aware of this only, she might not want him to know. That was something which Tohru was having trouble with for the entire time until that afternoon by the lake.

On their last afternoon Kyo and Tohru decided to take them to the most beautiful spot near their home. Momiji threw his hands in the air and ran towards it like the little boy that he was. Kyo chased after him and told him not to run down the slope so quickly in case he would fall with Tohru and Rosalie walking after them watching the scene with amusement. When Tohru turned to Rosalie she could see that she was a little amused at the whole scene. There was something which seemed to sparkle a little when she looked at Momiji which told her that he was a more than just a cousin to her. He was her kindred spirit. They were nothing alike but there was something about them when they were together which seemed to trigger something inside both of them at it was harmonious. It was something which she knew could save both their lives. It reminded her of that Shakespeare play but instead of two lovers taking their lives, they saved each others.

"When did you know?"

Rosalie looked at her softly and frowned. "Know what?"

She tilted her head. "That you loved him."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes in a way which could either suggest that she was trying to get at something which had nothing to do with her or that she was greatly annoyed at the fact that Tohru had brought this up.

"I suppose there's no point in feigning confusion." She murmured.

Tohru blinked genuinely unsure of what she meant by that statement and Rosalie could see this and responded with an eye roll and a shake of the head.

"I suppose also I don't need to state who it is you're referring to as well." She sighed.

Tohru knew what she meant by this. "I know its Momiji you love."

Rosalie sharply turned her head in the direction of Momiji and quickly turned back to her with an angered expression on her face.

"Try saying that a little louder, the couple on the other side of the lake couldn't quite hear you." She growled.

Tohru held up her hands and waved them in front of her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Rosalie slapped her hand against her face and moaned. "Please don't worry about it..."

Tohru looked at her timidly. "You're not angry with me...?"

"For the sake of shutting you up on the matter...No I am not angry with you..."

"It's just...you were being so allusive when you were talking then...I just wanted to be sure that was what you were talking about..."

"Yes, well I would prefer if you kept your voice down when discussing these matters."

"I understand that you don't want Momiji to find out but can I ask why you're so afraid of being open with your emotions?"

Rosalie grimaced. "Well...My fam- The head of my family wouldn't exactly be happy with finding out about that particular piece of news. It's bad enough that I'm here let alone for me to have feelings for a Sohma..."

"What has the head of your family have against the Sohmas?"

Rosalie shook her head. "I don't know. I just know Yuri hates them more than anything...It isn't exactly kept a secret, unlike many other things in my family."

Tohru looked away with a sad expression on her face. "Also why does Yuri not want you to be here?"

Rosalie wrinkled her nose. "Too far from Yuri's reach. It's more a power thing and really...Well I'm presuming that Yuki told you about my family curse?"

Tohru sat up straight. "I suspected that there was something like that...But Yuki hasn't told me anything like that."

"Ah...He's been rather quiet about it then...Well, you could say we're 'gifted' but I prefer cursed by elements. I have that of life or energy. Whatever you wish to call it. But the problem with mine is that its like I am also plagued by the flip-side of life. I can take it as much as I can give it away."

"Is that why you're so scared of being close to Momiji? Are you afraid of hurting him?"

Rosalie's expression didn't seem to change when she replied but she could hear it in her voice. "Of course I am. Being with me would bring him pain in so many different ways...Not just caused by myself...But..."

Tohru cast her eyes to the ground. "Yuri sounds a lot like Akito. Or what she used to be like anyway."

Rosalie sighed knowing it was about time that she brought herself to coming to the point. It would be very easy to exhaust this point of the conversation and this was her last day here.

"Yuki told me you were the one who broke the curse. I want to know...I know you're the only one who can tell me how to break mine."

Tohru felt like she had something caught in her throat. She was coming to her for help? She was so wise and brave and she was coming to Tohru for help. How could she help? Couldn't she find the answer?

"I don't know how I can help you. I mean...Technically it's not a curse. Surely if you sought to control it you wouldn't have to see it as a problem."

Rosalie clenched her fist. "I know that once I get rid of this I will be free to live as I wish, to be with who I wish..."

Tohru glanced in Momiji's direction and smiled. "I know...Can't you perhaps reason with Yuri? Is there not a way you can be with Momiji?"

Rosalie shook all over and she could see that she was holding back her tears and shook her head stiffly.

"No."

~ (***) ~

Yuri was arriving today but Hilda didn't care to see her so she decided to spend time at Satomi's home. She would prefer to wait until she suspected would be enough time for Yuri to settle in. It was even worse when she was arriving and settling in. Yuri was treated everyone like they were slaves and servants greeting their master after they had been on a long holiday. She never liked to be treated like she was owned by someone. On too many several occasions she treated to believe that. She met her house-mate finally, he was a lovely boy, he really conformed to the stereotype but she seemed to warm to him because of that and loved that he was the official tea or coffee maker of the house. Every time she came round to her house his first question was always what she wanted to drink. She would always smile and would start to go into elaborate detail on how to make her coffee since from past experience people had been unable to remember due to her fussy taste when it came to coffee. However he seemed to be the only one who could remember what she wanted and how she liked it. So now she just phrased it as 'her usual'. She sat there drinking her usual, but being unusually quiet, which Satomi noticed and reached over and brushed her fingers against the hand resting against her cheek.

"Is something wrong?"

Hilda closed her eyes. "What isn't wrong? Yuri's coming today..." She explained.

Satomi blinked. "Shouldn't you be at home?"

Hilda shrugged her shoulders. "I should but...I don't want to see Yuri. Besides I'm not the only relative that is going to be absent..."

Satomi glanced down at the table. "I get the feeling that no one in this family of yours is able to get along with one another."

Hilda chuckled. "You're right about that one, my love."

She twisted a strand of her dark hair about her finger and urged her closer until there were no millimetres, no space, nothing between them.

~ (***) ~

Momiji thought that it was someone (with that someone being Tohru) cleaning the windows when he was walking down the corridor. Only when he got closer he realised it was someone crying. He pushed the door open gently and found Rosalie crumpled on the floor with her phone in her hand. Tears were dripping down her face and her hair was a mess. He wasn't really thinking at the time but his impulses told him to hold her which was what he more or less did the moment he realised what was going on. She was a little startled at first to say the least, probably because she thought that no one could hear her. He used his sleeve to wipe away the tears.

"What's wrong?"

She blinked, finding it surprising that he was being very to the point rather than asking if she was alright. He was suddenly being all serious.

"I..." She held up her phone. "There was a message. I...Yuri's here. Yuri's finally...It's too...It's too late..."

Yuri had been mentioned one too many times in Momiji's opinion. She sounded (yes he knew she was a she) like someone who needed a bit of work as well since she had caused everyone else amongst the Laurents. Or if they didn't show they were damn good at hiding it. Rosalie was always worrying every few seconds if she was doing something which would get her in trouble with Yuri. Not that she was doing that already...

Momiji took her by the shoulders. "What do you mean its too late?"

"It's too late..." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. It's too late. There's no point-"

Momiji felt anger rising in his chest. He had enough of this. For weeks he had known that he felt something for her and he was getting the feeling that she might be feeling something for him but she avoiding it for some reason.

Momiji shook her a little. "Rosalie. Tell me." He said sternly.

She looked up and saw that she was going to tell him. She had to tell him everything. She might be able to hold back a few things but she had to tell him as much as she could in order to hold back the biggest secret. The reason why she was doing all of this.

She took in a deep breath. "I wanted to get rid of this curse. I came here to ask Tohru how I could get rid of mine. But she couldn't help me. I thought that once I got rid of mine...Well that's the part that doesn't matter any more. Yuri's here now and its likely she's here to bring me back."

"Yuri can't take you if you don't want to go." He replied.

"She's the head of the family. Of course I have to do as I'm told." She replied emotionlessly.

Momiji frowned at the second mention of 'she' but then realisation settled in and nodded. "Alright. What has she got on you? What is it that she can use against you to make you come back?"

Rosalie was almost tempted to laugh because the truth was Yuri had no leverage other than the shameful things she used to do to Rosalie. But if it was between shame and freedom there was no question of which of the two she was going to choose.

"Everything. It's just the fact that she can hurt me in any way possible...She's...She's the one who reminds me of what a monster I am."

Momiji moved in a little closer. "You're not a monster."

She smiled cynically. "You don't even know me. You don't know the half of what I think and feel."

"But I know you. I know what's happened to you so I at least know half the reasons why you feel the way you feel."

She sniffed. "There are some things you don't know about when it comes to the way I feel."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well if it's a problem why don't you tell me about it?"

She shook her head again. "No...Momiji...Don't ask me this again..."

He leaned closer. "I have a feel that I should insist on this one."

She gulped. "I don't want to ruin anything...I don-"

"Rosalie tell me."

"Why?" She screamed. "Why do you want to know? Why do you care? Why do you love me? Why?"

She stopped the second she realised what she had just said and she began to shake all over. She couldn't believe that she blurted out at him like that. It sounded like she was blaming him for all this, when he was the person who just happened to come along in her life and give her a reason to believe that she should be able to happy if she wanted to be. Momiji was the counter-part to what Yuri had been to her in her life. She slowly, shakily brought her hand to her lips and she felt like her tears were about to stream down her face again but she clenched her fists so tightly she felt like her palms were beginning to bleed. She knew that everything she hoped for had been dashed away so quickly that it was almost as if that it never existed in the first place. It was amazing how much things could come and go. How easily it was to give up on such a dream, since that was all it was. She saw everything as it actually was now. Momiji stared at her as if he was brain dead, which funnily enough, was the way he was feeling at the time. How could he answer to something like that? He was being shouted at for just feeling something which for anyone was something which you couldn't stop feeling. Everyone was entitled to it as much as they were entitled to not have to be questioned as to why they were feeling this for a certain person. Maybe it was because she never believed that she could ever be capable of loving or being loved in return.

"It's the way you look out on the world...It's so pure. It's so good. I want someone like that."

She took in a deep breath and started sobbing again. Momiji slowly walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She almost clawed her fingers into his back and rested her head against his shoulder as they both waited for her to stop. She felt safe there.

"What do you want?"

She felt her heart stop for a second. She felt like she was going to cry all over again but she knew she wasn't since she had cried enough for that day. Her body was probably not even going to be able to allow her to cry any more.

"I just want it all to stop. I just want peace. Though apparently its too much to ask for all this to end as well."

"You can have both...Only if you really want it."

She gulped and took the back of his neck and brought his lips to hers. She could see for the split second that her eyes were still open that his eyes were widened in surprise but soon her melted against her and at first his hands were slowly and gentle against her skin but as the kiss deepened his movements began faster and more desperate. She could tell he had been waiting for this for a long. He had been wanting this for a long time.


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/S: **I just wanted to make a shout out about the fact that this story is soon to come to a close. Seriously there are only a few chapters left of this story...I'm going to wait to make the long list of thanks until the final chapter but I do want to send a big thank you, now, in general to all the people reading this story, favouriting it, alerting, reviewing etc and especially to those who have been staying with it for this long as well since I am aware that I have spent a long time writing this and if you look at my other stories I have been much better at updating a few of my other stories than I have with this one so that's why I do appreciate the fact that you have stuck with this and I do thank you for that. Thank you for the feedback and I hope to hear from you guys soon as much as you all are probably hoping to hear from me.

Pixie xxx

Chapter Forty-One

For **FUUUU-Kira-L-RULES**

It was strange really. She found the whole concept of being in love strange. People would call being in love meaning that you were even loving someone from afar even without admitting it to them or acting upon your desires. Although Rosalie Laurent saw being in love as actually being _in it. _You were experiencing it, drinking it, being consumed by it and you weren't alone in that experience. Long after they returned she greeted Yuri as if nothing more had happened between her and Momiji but on those lonely nights she would creep out the window and climb down from the garage roof and run down the street with the stars leading her back to where her true thoughts resided. One night she found herself skipping down the road like a little girl in summer time. She was so excited that she cried out and laughed that even when he opened the door he told her he could hear her from a few streets away. He looked more surprised rather than annoyed. She couldn't help it though. She felt like she was living on the edge every moment she spent with him. She treasured every moment they both had to spare to be together. It those moments, minutes, hours that they were together she would count them and soon lose count knowing either that it was trivial or that she was so drowned in time that it didn't make any sense to her any more.

There was something else which struck her as being strange when she was with Momiji. She was scared at first but when she became accustomed to this fact she realised it changed nothing about the way that she felt about him. It was more to do with the fact of how she thought about how she should feel when one is in love rather than about Momiji. She was yet again become more concerned of the consensus of those outside of who it actually concerned. She thought that she would feel complete. That before she had been missing out on something which she was missing. There was something new and shiny to the sensation of being in love. With them it was different. At first she thought that there was something wrong with her and her emotions, that perhaps that she was wrong about the way that she felt about him. The fact was she didn't feel complete, she felt mended. She had been broken into a thousand little pieces and then Momiji came along and put her back together like a jigsaw. She had all those components she just needed someone else to put it together for her. These emotions she was feeling as well, they weren't bright and shiny. She knew what it was to love, she had loved before, maybe not like this but she knew what it was like to care about someone more than you cared about yourself. Yet again it was a part of herself which she had to find again.

She laid on the floor and brushed her fingers against the soft rug she and Momiji was lying on with her legs entwined with his, his arm around her waist, skin to skin. All these interactions, touches made their flesh mesh together it was confusing as to who was who. She felt his hand slide up her arm and take her hand and kissed the back of her neck.

"What are thinking about?"

She smirked. "How soft the rug is..."

He chuckled. "That's hardly romantic."

"I may be French but that doesn't mean I'm completely French." She replied.

He kissed her forehead. "Of course."

She rolled onto her back and took his face in her hands. There was just a moment when they were both willing to admit to each other that they were afraid. They were scared because the future of this was uncertain. Neither of them knew where this could take either of them. Whether they would survive.

"I'll never forget this."

She frowned. "What?"

He shook his head. "This. I'll never forget you being like this. Here. Like this."

She took in a deep breath and rattled with desire she leaned up and pulled him down to her so that their lips could meet half way. She wrapped her legs around his waist and brought him closer to her. They clung together one another as if there was no tomorrow, no today or yesterday. All of that was gone and there was only them. They gasped, cried out and dragged out the night into the deepest intimacies of two people as if they hadn't a care in the world. When they were too tired to carry on they both laid out on the floor waiting until they had both reclaimed their breaths.

"How...What...Will we..."

She was trying to find a way of asking the question but she couldn't think of the best way to phrase it. She didn't want to ruin this moment but she felt like she needed to ask the question otherwise she would never be able to bring herself to ask it again. She knew it would ruin them forever if she brought herself to finishing the sentence but she was additionally afraid of not asking as well. She tried to ask again but he shushed her.

"It'll be alright."

She looked at him desperately. "How do you know that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't. I'm just telling you what I hope will be."

She rolled her head to face his and brushed his lips against his again. "Thank you."

He smiled for a brief moment but then something caught his eye for a moment and his eyes widened and jumped to his feet.

"What is it?"

He was still looking out and saw that there was nothing there but she knew that it wasn't the case a few seconds ago. She turned to Momiji knowing he looked how she felt.

~ (***) ~

It was strange. It was almost like it was all coming together all too perfectly. Like it had been mapped out from the beginning. Something _she _had planned from the very beginning. It was to begin like it did and it was going to end like it was going to. For a moment Yuri almost believed that there was nothing she could do to stop it but that was the funny thing about fate sometimes. It wasn't written in stone, the past was written in stone because there was nothing you could do to change it that was why tombstones were made out of it. Fate was more commonly spoken by the senile or written on paper. Paper could be burnt and the senile could be put away. It was all the more of a reason to suspect that there was something which she was hiding. She could tell from the way that she looked at her that there was something she was keeping from her and Yuri knew she was going to find out what it was she was doing. Yuri leaned back in her chair as she contemplated on what she might do to get the truth out of Rosalie. She was always used to beating the truth out of her but since she had become so accustomed to that threat or method of torture it might not be enough any more. Sometimes people could be beaten to the point where they were just numbed by all the pain. She could at least give herself for being able to achieve that. Obviously just not enough to scare her away from committing such acts as she had done recently.

It happened to be at that moment when Rosalie walked through the door. Yuri smirked knowing that the excuse she was giving nowadays was that she had a lot of work to do with concerns to her postgraduate degree. She sighed and threw the paper she was reading on the table and got to her feet. She knew the real reason as to why she was actually away but the problem was that as far as she knew what that was didn't go beyond that it wasn't anything to do with her studies. She came back with a fairly neutral expression on her face which could mean that it was almost anything but there was something about her aura if anything which denoted that there was something which was worth getting giddy about. She knew then what it was, it wasn't that she a virgin. It took an experienced woman to spot a woman who had just been plucked. She swung her arms back and forth. She had a certain glow which hung off girls who had either lost their virginity joyfully or pregnant women. It sickened her. Not just because they were blissful, but she was blissful as well. She didn't deserve to have that. She didn't deserve to have everything. She clutched her seat and pulled herself to her feet and strode from the living room to the corridor and blockaded Rosalie from going upstairs.

"Were you not going to say hello to me?" She asked in a clipped voice.

Rosalie cast her eyes to the ground. "Hello."

Yuri raised her eyebrows. "Come Rosalie. You can do better than that."

Rosalie glanced up at Yuri and sighed. "Hello Yuri. How was your day?" She added quickly.

Yuri shrugged her shoulders. "Boring. I really don't see why you actually came here in fact. Enlighten me as to why you thought it was such a splendid idea."

Rosalie looked as if she was going to roll her eyes but tactfully stopped herself knowing it was better not to. Yuri could always give her that. She had learnt the ways of being able to side step Yuri's anger.

"I liked the course." She replied boringly.

Yuri raised her eyebrow. "Try again. I know there are much better courses across Europe so...Try. Again."

Rosalie pulled herself up to full height which was a little taller than Yuri but not enough to intimidate her.

"I thought it would be nice to get to know my family."

Yuri tilted her head. "Your family? Are we not your family? You would prefer to..." She reached forward and gripped her shoulder tightly. "Get to know these people rather than getting to know your own family? You barely even know your own family."

"You would certainly know that." Rosalie snapped.

Yuri saw a flash of anger in her vision and threw her hand across Rosalie's cheek throwing her against the wall. Rosalie clutched her cheek and shot a glance up at Yuri. It wasn't filled with fear, more with anger. Yuri didn't like anger. She preferred fear, with that you had the upper hand.

"You seem to have obtain a tongue overseas, Rosalie."

"I always a tongue, Yuri. I've just learned how to use it with you." She replied almost mockingly.

Yuri narrowed her eyes. "Yes. I can see that. What I do wonder is what I should do about it. I mean-" She tilted her head and gave her a sinister look. "I think we both know that its not much of an improvement."

"Yeah and I'm sure squeamish, cowardly and horrified looks pretty good too."

Yuri's eyes widened and stepped forward only for her to be interrupted by Hilda walking through the door. She glanced down at Rosalie crumpled on the floor, her hand hiding a reddened mark and put her coat up hurriedly.

"I'll take her upstairs and clean her up." Yuri gave her a look. "In case someone comes round. Besides her Nana should be back soon."

Yuri understanding now nodded and waved her hand to allow her to do so. Hilda took her from under the arms and hauled her up the stairs with Rosalie glancing back down at her one last time before disappearing from her vision.

~ (***) ~

He was reading the garden when he found him. He didn't look like he had a care in the world but if he looked closer Haru could see there was something which was on his mind. He put his hands in his pockets and sat beside him.

"I know..."

Momiji lowered his book almost as if he was about to drop it but he just remained quiet. "Are you going to say anything?"

"I was really going to wait until you said something."

"Well I at least know why you went crazy on me on her first night here. Although I have to say it took you long enough to act upon it..."

Momiji gave him a look as if to say he wasn't amused but he wasn't going to hit him either. He turned back to his book and pretended to read for a while but he knew sooner rather than later he was going to eventually give in and actually have a conversation with Haru about this. Haru knew him better than anyone and he was behaving so out of character seeing Rosalie in secret like this. Something wasn't right.

"You know its a dangerous thing, seeing her in secret like this. It might not end well..."

"You think people would be hurt by the fact that we weren't being all open about our relationship?"

"No that suggests that there is a reason why you're not being open and that could get one of you hurt. Momiji I want to know why people can't know that you're with Rosalie."

He sighed. The first thing which Rosalie made him promise her was to not tell anyone about the fact that they were together and why. He knew that he would rather take a bullet or lie under a bus before breaking a promise he made to her. He wasn't going to break it now.

He shook his head. "I can't tell you."

"Why?" He demanded.

"I promised her." He explained.

A promise you made to someone was something more than binding...Haru should have known that but he seemed pretty determined to get this out of Momiji.

"Rosalie? I'm your cousin, dammit. I've known you your entire life. She's known you- what? A few months and suddenly you're more loyal to her than to anyone else."

"It's completely different, Haru. You know that. I know you know that more than anyone else. I thought you would at least understand considering..."

Momiji paused knowing that he had to phrase this properly otherwise someone might end up getting punched in the face. Even though he wasn't a cow any more he was still a little bit passive-aggressive.

Haru glared at him. "Considering what?"

"You and Rin. I thought you would at least understand how difficult to be open about something like that..."

Haru narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "Is this something to do with Yuri?"

Momiji's silence told him everything and Haru sighed. "Momiji...What is it that this Yuri has on you guys? Or more importantly Rosalie?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. But Yuri frightens Rosalie more than anything. She can't think of anything worse than making her angry. I keep telling her that she shouldn't be afraid of Yuri. That..."

Haru nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Looks like we have another Akito on our hands."

Momiji took in a deep breath and knew that he was making a big mistake mentioning this but he knew that he had come far enough to go back now.

"She's also trying to get rid of the curse."

Haru was quiet for a long time it almost seemed like he didn't hear him and then he shrugged his shoulders.

"Who doesn't want to get rid of a curse of some description nowadays?" He replied casually.

"It's not funny Haru."

He shook his head. "I know its not funny it just seems to be the trend. Anyway why does she think that's going to work?"

"She thinks that once they don't have the curse they have no reason to remain tied to Yuri."

Haru shrugged his shoulders. "She doesn't even like Yuri."

"I know but...Yuri's a bit possessive."

Haru raised his eyebrows telling Momiji that he finally understood what he meant by that. "Wow."


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Forty-Two

For **candysfan**

"You're a royal idiot."

Rosalie smirked. "Thank you."

Hilda was dabbing her face with a wet flannel after they found that there was blood dripping from her jaw when they reached the top of the stairs. Hilda had pulled her into the bathroom before Thora or anyone else could see her knowing that it was going to cause more of an uproar in the house than there already was. Hilda could tell from the expression on Rosalie's face that she really wasn't in the mood for people to be fussing over her, let alone her Grandmother.

Hilda grabbed her by the shoulders. "This isn't a game, Rosalie. Yuri could have killed you for whatever reason she wanted to get rid of you. Or punish you."

"That tends to be one of her favourite activities." Rosalie replied, Hilda gave her a look. "What I can't even joke about it?"

Rosalie's one advantage of all this was that she could make jokes about it all. It was better than wallowing in your own pity. Amusement was always a better cure for child trauma. Or more it was a better form of cure for her, she couldn't exactly speak for the whole community of people who suffered from child abuse.

"No."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Shit. Sorry."

"You should be. Or will be if you keep going on like this..."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes. "You're even starting to sound like her."

"Don't insult me. I'm not nearly- Wait what did you say?"

"Huh?"

Rosalie could tell what it was that she picked up from that conversation but she was hoping that if she feigned innocence that she might be able to get away with it this one time. She was going to be honest though, how could Hilda of all people have not have noticed that.

"You've referred to Yuri as 'her' quite a number of times. Is there something you're not telling-" Rosalie was giving her a suggestive look which made Hilda put down the wet flannel. "Oh my-"

Hilda was going to make a huge thing out of this and to be honest, the prospect of getting beaten up twice in one day, like a normal person, didn't appeal to Rosalie that much.

"Shush!"

She looked over her shoulder and waited a moment to hear whether Yuri was outside. There was silence. No footsteps. She turned back to Hilda and nodded.

"Are you serious? Wow. No wonder Yuri has so many problems."

"Cross-dressing doesn't exactly suggest that one has psychological problems, Hilda."

Hilda gave her a look which frankly made Rosalie think that she was being a little bit of a hypocrite. She was a lesbian for crying out loud...

Hilda shrugged her shoulders. "Fair play. But why don't you try standing up to Yuri? Why do you put up with this shit?"

The smile of Rosalie's face disappeared and pressed the flannel against her cheek. She didn't think the conversation would turn this serious. In fact she kind of hoped that this would be a quiet affair. They would go into the bathroom, Hilda would half-nurse her back to health then leave until Rosalie had a good amount of time of quiet contemplation and then leave herself. Instead Hilda decided to play the councillor. As much as she was grateful for her help but she was kind of missing it when she was always behaving like the closeted gold-digger. She really wasn't in the mood for someone to be asking her about her feelings on the current events.

"She would find a way of getting back at me, through someone I loved probably and that's a mistake I don't want to repeat again."

She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered walking into the summer house with Thora lying on the ground unconscious and Yuri standing over her panting. They glared at one another for a moment. It was almost like she blaming her for what she did to Thora and for the first time she was actually angry at her. She went insane and threw herself at Yuri and for a moment Yuri actually looked afraid, when Rosalie finally realised what she was doing she stepped back and took Thora away.

Hilda sighed. "No one blames you for what she did to Thora."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, she didn't care if she was going to be scolded for this but she had heard that line one too many times and she was frankly getting a little sick of the fact that no one seemed to be blaming her for anything these days. Especially when it was something which was caused by the fact that Yuri was just angry with her opposed to be the people she let her anger out on.

"Well I do. I know it's my fault, I know why Yuri did it and there's nothing any one can say that can change that."

Rosalie took in a deep breath and decided to try and put an end to this conversation, since she knew she couldn't see it going anywhere where she thought it would be best to leave it. Ending it was the best possible move to make otherwise she was going to be going off and doing something stupid yet again...

Hilda tilted her head. "Still...It's no reason to beat yourself up about it."

Rosalie sighed. "Well that's the problem..."

Hilda frowned. "What do you mean?"

Rosalie almost wanted to laugh. When she always had a conversation with her older cousins she couldn't help but marvel at how much they had missed when it came to Yuri's slightly psychopathic behaviour.

"Well if I didn't allow myself to accept the reason as to why I should beat myself up about it...I might as well go back. I might as well be Yuri."

~ (***) ~

Isabella always had a maternal streak. This was something which she had since she was a teenager. William watched her sometimes as a child and when their cousins came along when their mothers didn't have time for them she would always step in a be another mother for them. It must have been the reason why she was least hated amongst the cousins. William always loved that about her. From a distance, before he actually fell in love with her he just saw her behaviour as one would view that of charity workers or missionaries. As simply good. Now he almost viewed her as some kind of angel. She was just naturally kind and he could see that when she put Thora to bed. Whenever she dried the tears of a child who had no tissue to blow on. He could see that when she smiled at him at the office. She had decided to be his temporary secretary of sorts while he was there. He was terrible with paper work and she was good at being helpful in general. He watched her some days when he was supposed to be working and he could feel those temporary feelings begin creeping back. Whenever he felt these emotions again he began, for the first time in his life, feel afraid. He would try to put his real feelings away and try to think about something else, however whenever he tried doing something like that he would always hear Hatori's voice in his head again telling him he was being foolish.

"I think she's calmed down now."

William looked up and saw that there was a little doubt in her eyes even though she sounded like she was saying this with the up-most conviction. Her eyes were downcast and she looked more tired than he had ever seen her.

"It was a perfectly natural reaction to be fair."

"I still don't know how she just knew..."

William scratched the back of his head knowing better than to reply to this comment. Even though Rosalie cleaned herself up, Thora was able to spot the cut on her lip. While she was eating she had spotted the cut and after dinner when Yuri was no longer around brushed her fingers against Rosalie's lip as if to acknowledge what had happened. Rosalie didn't really seem startled but she exchanged a glance as if to silently admit to what had happened and Thora ran to her room crying. Rosalie would have usually went after her to comfort her but she knew better. Although she left it up to Isabella to calm her down which angered William somewhat.

"Rosalie isn't the only one whose received Yuri's special treatment." He replied. "If anything the girl isn't ignorant."

Isabella gave him a look which was somewhere between a glare and a tired glance and turned back to biting her nails. It was a habit of hers which William detested but he wasn't going to mention it.

He reached over and touched her on the shoulder. "You need to get some rest."

She smiled sadly. "We all need to rest, William..."

He chuckled. "You never tire to badgering me about that do you?"

She stared at him long and hard. "You know I don't mean that. I mean we all need to..."

She closed her eyes and sighed. William knew what she was trying to say but she was more than just afraid to say it, but she knew what would happen if she admitted to it. It wasn't that she was afraid of the consequences but she knew that no matter how many times she would admit to it that nothing in the state of their world would change.

"There's no point wishing for that, Isabella." He said quietly. "The world is the way it is."

She gulped and walked towards him. He felt that fear running down his spine again. He opened his mouth to object to what he suspected she was about to do but his throat was dry and if he was honest he was more afraid of objecting to this rather than the consequences of giving into it. She moved from one space to his so fluidly. She took his wrist and smoothly ran her hand over the back of his neck and brought his lips to hers. The moment lasted for as long as what people would think was agreeable, when she drew away it was almost as if she read his mind and giggled.

"Always so serious."

He grinned. "If anything I'm dependable."

~ (***) ~

"ROSALIE WAKE UP!"

Rosalie could give Erik one redeeming or maybe not so redeeming feature. He was loud when he wanted to be or as it turned when he needed to be. He practically almost made her fall out of the bed.

"What is it?" She asked groggily.

Erik came into the room and turned the lights on causing Rosalie to cry out in protest. She was flailing about until he grabbed them and pulled her to her feet and took her by the shoulders.

"It's Arisa. She's at the hospital. She's had her twins."

She frowned. It took her a while to process when she was being told and then she counted on her fingers and her eyes widened.

"She's only thirty-seven weeks."

She couldn't believe that this was happening. There seemed to be no problems so far. Everything seemed alright. Although there was something inside her which was telling her that she shouldn't have seen this coming. For what reason she was unsure...

He nodded. "Exactly. I know we might be bombarding her if we all went. We're not all going to go but...You're family. You need to be there."

She didn't really understand why he was talking to her like this. She wasn't saying that he was completely without emotion. His relationship with Kimi was enough to convince her of that but she wouldn't never have thought that he would be convincing her to do something like this.

She nodded. "How do you even know?"

"They've been trying your phone for ages. You weren't picking up."

She sighed wanted to mentally smack herself. She did that so that Momiji wouldn't be able to contact her. Call her selfish but after the previous events of that day she really wasn't in the mood to be with him. It wasn't that she blamed him or anything but she just really didn't feel like creeping out the house and being with him in the way they usually were. They weren't always having sex but she just couldn't handle being around him at the moment.

"Yeah...er...my phone ran out of battery. Do you know the hospital she's at?"

"First, it's not visiting hours-"

She shook her head. "I don't care I have to be with her."

He took in a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's like you said. I'm family, I have to be there."

He turned his head to the side so that he was peering down at her with his arms folded out of the corner of his eye.

"Why do I have a feeling that you're half telling the truth and half having another motive for going there which I am not going to approve of-"

"Because you're smarter than you appear." She snapped.

He smiled at her sarcastically. "Oh thank you."

Isabella stormed into the room and glared at both of them. "What are you two doing at this time in the morning?" She hissed.

"Arisa's just had her twins, my cousin's girlfriend." She explained quickly although she was pretty sure that they had met.

It was more about the time of day rather than forgetfulness. Isabella never made a habit out of forgetting people. That was Erik's department.

"Isn't she only thirty-odd weeks?" She asked worriedly.

Rosalie nodded. "Thirty-seven. I need to go see her."

She was already grabbing a trench-coat and throwing it over her bed-clothes. It was always the best thing to throw over you if you were leaving in a hurry. She was putting on some shoes when she heard Isabella coming down the stairs.

"Do you need money for a taxi?"

Rosalie shook her head. "I should be fine."

Isabella gave her another look, the same one Erik gave her but only for a moment and looked away.

"What is it?"

"It's just I have the feeling that...I feel like something bad is going to happen. I think everyone else has been feeling it..."

"Well I sure as hell hope that doesn't happen." Rosalie murmured.

Isabella looked at her more seriously this time. "Rosalie...I meant something bad was going to happen to one of us. I don't mean to be disrespectful to your mothers family but I need to know whether you're going to-"

"Why is everyone behaving as if I'm not coming back home."

Isabella looked at her squarely and then Rosalie rolled her eyes. She had had enough of this and dialled a number for someone to come and pick her up. Although while she was waiting for someone on the other end to pick up she was beginning to feel like this was going to be the last time she was going to be seeing her family...

~ (***) ~

"Did she say she was coming?"

"Hatori's gone to pick her up."

The hospital corridor was quiet. Kisa and Hiro didn't come since it was a school night and they didn't want to disturb them. Kagura was in the room with Kazuma and Hana at the moment and the others had gone to either make some calls outside or to get coffee.

Haru scratched the back of his head. "I still don't get it. Momiji was ringing her phone like crazy. She should have picked up the phone at least on the third time to tell him why she was busy."

Haru found the whole thing more confusing rather than jumping to conclusions and deciding to call her insensitive. He always knew that when there was something strange or someone to acting out of character that there was something going on.

"She might have had her phone switched off." Rin replied.

Haru glanced over at her for a moment and looked away. Rin narrowed her eyes and grabbed him by the arm causing him to look back at her.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

Haru looked at her quietly. "No."

"You're a terrible liar, Haru."

She was right, he was a terrible liar. Most of the time he was brutally or if not as honest as anyone could be. But this was Momiji. He was his best friend and he didn't want to make thing worse for him than things already were. This Yuri sounded as much as a psycho as Akito used to be and he knew how terribly things could end up if you pushed people too far.

He grinned. "I'm an excellent liar. Thank you. You're the only one in the world who can tell whether I'm lying or not. Which is good I suppose since you're more or less my spouse."

She narrowed her eyes. He was trying to be charming. He was only charming when he wanted to hide something from her. It wasn't always necessarily a bad thing but still...

"Stop trying to change the subject. What's going on?"

He sighed. "I really don't think this is the-"

"Haru."

She saw from the expression on his face that she had finally got through to him although the worried look on his face told her that it wasn't something she was going to want to hear. Although she would rather know what it was now rather than agonise for days over whether there was something she needed to know or what that could possibly be.

"Momiji and Rosalie are seeing each other...Or might not be any more. I don't know. As far as I'm aware they are."

Rin was quiet for a while. Haru was even wondering whether she heard him or whether there was someone standing behind him. He knew that she had taken it in when she nodded her head, almost as sign of acceptance that it had finally happened. She was probably experiencing what he thought of the whole thing at first. Absolute surprise with Rosalie's ability for follow-through. Despite her past behaviour. She looked like she had just watched someone been run over by a bus. She stared at him wide eyed and turned away. She was now behaving like she had seen a ghost. This wasn't going to go down well. She ran her hands over her face and took in some deep breaths. She actually looked like she was having a panic attack and Haru didn't know whether to wait until she had calmed down or whether to go fetch someone to help her. He had never known her to have a panic attack but then again people never really realised these things sometimes until later on in life. When he moved towards her to help himself she held up a hand sharply and shook her head. Haru nodded knowing when it was the right time to help her and when it was the wrong time to try and comfort her. The time was usually when she told you not to help her. When she didn't tell you it generally meant that she didn't mind however most of the time she didn't really care.

"Stupid girl..."

Haru frowned. "I'm sorry? Rin, I thought of all people-"

Her head snapped up. "That I would understand? Let me tell you something Haru, I understand perfectly but not in the way that most people will be thinking that I understand. I know what she's doing. I did the same and I ended up almost getting you hurt...I don't want to see the same thing happening to her and Momiji."

Haru glanced around and whispered, "But it might not be the same. This time it might be different."

She shook her head. "It won't be different." She murmured. "It can never be different when there are people like Akito and Yuri in charge of these things."

"Akito's changed, Rin."

She stared at him tiredly. "And you all seem to think that I've been able to forgive her still...Most of the hate for her has gone away, I'm sure. But what she did to me...What she did to all of us...I don't think I'm ever going to be able to forgive that..."

~ (***) ~

Momiji waited out in the cold for her to come. He was standing there knowing that Yuki was standing there waiting for him to come back inside but he knew he wasn't going to move a muscle until he saw her walking towards the hospital. He had been waiting for her for long enough. Autumn was coming. You could always tell when Summer was over when Autumn was either on its way or had already arrived. He had been getting that feeling a lot lately, as if something was someone to bring them all away from a period which had been hanging over their heads for quite a while now. The last time he felt like that was when the curse was lifted off him. Although when he stepped out in the cold it didn't hit him with the same sharpness which he was usually used to when he first stepped out into the Autumnal cold. Maybe it was because he already felt cold when he was inside. When he received word that Arisa had gone into labour he called Rosalie although his phone told him that her phone would be switched off. He wasn't too bothered about this at first. He was aware of the fact that people had their phones switched off sometimes. It was just awful timing for her to have it switched off.

He waited for as long as it would take for someone to switch off their phone and turn it back on if they had gotten out of a meeting or for their phone to recharge. He thought something like an hour or two would be pretty reasonable and still she still wasn't answering. This was when he got worried. It wasn't a lot to ask to consider that panicking or at least worrying a little was the appropriate way to react to that situation. Most of the other guys in his family would probably react the same way he was. On the third time he was starting to get just a little bit annoyed. Only just a little bit. In fact no. That was a bit of an understatement saying that. When he finally heard that she was coming at midnight he thought about time and he was ready to demand from her what the hell was going on. As her secret boyfriend he was pretty sure that he was entitled to know whether something was going on that he should know about, let alone if he was her official boyfriend. He wasn't exactly asking a lot either all things considered. He always imagined that with his perfect girlfriend, his love life would be running a lot more smoothly than it actually was in reality. So when he was waiting out there he was being to feel his blood boil but at the same time he was still freezing cold.

Just when he was about to call her again Rosalie appeared out of the darkness with Hatori in tow. She had her arms wrapped around her and she glanced up and saw Momiji. She could tell he was mad and dropped the expression for a moment. He didn't want Hatori seeing this since he was going to at least make it up to her for telling Haru for letting the least amount of people as possible finding out about them. He threw his arms around her.

"I'm glad you're here." He whispered.

She sniffed and drew back from him. "How's she doing?"

She wanted to mentally smack herself for her stupidity of even asking that question but she felt like she was morally obliged to make it known that she was at least concerned about the welfare of Arisa, even if she didn't know her particularly well but she was related to the father of her children.

They walked through the hospital doors and the heat suddenly hit him. "She's fine. I think-I mean-No one's really sure. The twins on the other hand, well..."

She nodded. "Okay. When can I see her?"

She had a feeling that she should at least make her presence known here. She also had a feeling that there was another reason why she should be here. There was something hanging on her mind during the drive here. She was glad Hatori was the silent type otherwise she would have somehow slipped it into the conversation somewhere. She didn't want anyone else knowing about this nagging thought in the back of her mind.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well someone's already seeing her. I suppose we're all really pushing it at the moment since visiting hours are over...But I suppose all the staff have been made pretty aware that they can see the term doesn't really compute well with us." He joked.

She smiled sadly at him, seeing that he was even trying to joke when really all we wanted to do was cry. It wasn't that he wasn't weak or anything, it was just that he wasn't afraid of admitting to all those feelings which he had.

She touched him on the shoulder. "How are you doing?"

He blinked at her and smiled the best he could. "I'm fine."

She peered at him. "Really? Doesn't look it..."

He moved a little closer to her and she glanced around to see whether there was anyone who would see them.

"Well...Call me selfish but I was actually thinking about whether you were alright. You weren't answering my phone."

She took in a deep breath for some reason she was pretty sure she was going to get some form of grief about this for someone when she got here. Probably a little later than she was getting it but still, she knew it was going to be inevitable.

She sighed and cast her eyes to the ground. "Yeah about that-"

"Look at me."

There was a tone in his voice which told her that she better careful otherwise she might cause more damage than she had already caused. It was probably better for her to do as he asked but she was scared. She was scared of her being able to see through her, which he was always able to do somehow. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yuri asked me about what I was doing behind her back today...I didn't tell her but..."

She lifted her her hand and touched the cut on her lip. He peered at her lip and his eyes widened with concern and took her hand away and cupped her cheek in his palm and brushed his thumb against the cut.

"She did this to you?"

She smiled morbidly. "She's done worse."

He looked at her squarely. "Still..."

She glanced away from him and shook her head. "There's nothing I can do."

He drew his hand away. "You still shouldn't have to put up with this. We didn't-"

"No you didn't because you had your own personal saviour. Not everyone is as lucky as you...All of you."

He stared at her with a mixture of shock and disappointment. She was speaking as if she wasn't part of this family. Like she was an outsider.

"You thought it was luck which brought Tohru to our family? You really believe that?"

She blinked at him with a nonsensical look on her face. "You would rather call it fate?"

"I think it would be more fitting. Yes. What makes you think brought us together?"

She looked away at this moment with an uncomfortable look on her face. She glanced back at his cold, hard stare.

"I..."

"You think that was luck as well?" He demanded.

She regretted her words instantly after this realising how terrible it made her sound and how trivial she thought their relationship was. She would never had wished to think that it was something she could cast away without a second thought. If she was ever forced to do that she would never be able to repair the break it would inflict on her soul. She would never be able to bring herself to love another person the way that she loved Momiji. To her, there wasn't a person in the world quite like him.

She shook her head. "I honestly couldn't tell you how or why we found each other...All I can say is that I've never felt so lucky to experience the things we have together and to...And for someone to love me the way you do."

The expression on his face softened a little now and he opened her arms for her to instantly fall into and she allowed him to hold her for even just a small moment but she would be more than content if he would hold her for the rest of her life. But only so few could have the luxury to wish for so much.

"You mustn't ever believe that you aren't worthy or don't deserve to be happy, Rosalie. I know Yuri has convinced you to believe a lot of terrible things but I would certainly now like to take it upon myself to undo all those lies which you have been forced to believe to be the truth. The truth is that we are all deserving of everything which proves that life is worth it. Even for a little while."

She was about to say something but she heard footsteps and they both turned in the direction where it was coming from and saw that it was Haru was a shadow of a smile on his face. She slowly turned to Momiji who had a hardened expression on her face and she knew what it meant.

"You're here." Haru greeted. "We were getting worried. Did your phone die or something?"

She nodded. "Yeah. How are the twins?"

Haru shook his head. "The doctors say its rather fifty-fifty at the moment but...I don't think they're very optimistic."

She cast her eyes to the ground and the thought yet again occurred to her. It was like there was something whispering in her ear and she was trying to ignore it but now it had just gotten loud enough for her being unable to ignore it. She knew now why she was here and what she had to do. She knew it would bring her into terrible danger but it explained everything which had been going on for the past few weeks. The pains in her chest. Those anxieties. It all made sense now. She knew it would break Momiji's heart but it was between that and the lives of these two children. It was the most terrifying thing she would have to do but she had to do it.

"You okay?"

She snapped her head up and nodded. "Sure. Just very tired."

He grinned. "Just wait until you're here for a couple of hours."

She tried to look amused but she knew this was going to be difficult for her. Momiji drew her away and led her down the corridor where everyone else was congregating. She said her hellos and felt more like Momiji's girlfriend rather than a cousin. She felt the secret growing inside her chest more and more, pulling her to the ground. She needed to have this over and done with now but she had to find the children first. She saw someone from their family shuffling out of the room sniffing and she glanced at the others when they were distracted and glanced through the door. She saw the two children silently sleeping and turned back to the others and smiled.

_They'll be so happy...They'll all be so relieved..._

Although her smiled faded when she knew she might not be around to see that. She turned back to the children and took in a deep breath and walked through the door. She walked towards where they were both lying side by side as twins should be. She tilted her head and watched them for a moment and smiled. She was doing the right thing. She had never felt that before. She reached out and pressed her hands against the glanced and closed her eyes. She reached out to the energy deep inside her drawing it out and passing it through the glass into the children. She felt herself weakening but that was fine. That was okay. Nothing else mattered so long that they lived...

~ (***) ~

Yuri woke up with an abrupt start. She knew something had happened. It had finally happened. She felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and she was going to stop being able to breathe any moment but somehow she found after a few minutes that she was still alright. Before she could even get her breath back Faron came rushing in. She wanted to throw herself back on the bed and pretend to be asleep but it was too late.

"Are you alright?"

She rolled her eyes at his devotion. Sometimes he was like a little puppy and didn't seem to pay any mind to how she treated him like he was trash which could be so easily disposed of.

"No." She replied honestly.

"Are you alright?"

"You've already asked me that, Faron."

"Is it your health?" He asked more sternly.

She shook her head silently. "It's Rosalie."

~ (***) ~

_I have to think though of the reasons why she decided to leave us. I had to at least consider that before taking any action. It's funny, most people think that I am completely without morals but really I only do the things that I do if I have a good reason. If someone decided to leave this family one can only expect a reaction. It could be like that with any family at all. Love is selfish regardless of whether it harms the other person or if it allows the other to grow. It involves two people in its purist form and lets face it, any form of discrimination, boycotting or shutting people out of something is selfish. I was even denied the very concept of being in love merely because I existed. I wasn't allowed it because of 'love' I brought into the world and sorrow accompanied me. Still we still all indulge in it. We all chase after it knowing that its the only thing which would be able to comfort us all in the great depression called life. I was in love once. I thought that it was love anyway and then it was dashed away and then I had to settle for the next best thing. Even though none of us were really happy in the whole situation but it was better than nothing. Although I have to admit now that it is something which will eventually rot you from the inside out but then again I already had a rotten soul, as it were..._


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

Chapter Forty-Three

For **Nasu Hasami**

_Chuck: Endings are hard. Any chapped-ass monkey with a keyboard can poop out a beginning, but endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always gonna bitch. There's always gonna be holes. And since it's the ending, it's all supposed to add up to something. I'm telling you, they're a raging pain in the ass._

_~ **Supernatural, Swan Song**_

~ (***) ~

When someone was sleeping they still looked like they were being preoccupied by something. Sometimes it could be something which was troubling them or it could be something wonderful. That was why when people were dead they looked peaceful. When Momiji looked down at her he was so afraid because Rosalie looked too peaceful to be asleep. Sometimes he would come in and he would think that she had died, it was only the steady beeping sound of the heart monitor which reassured him that she was still alive. He found her when he looked around wondering where she was. A moment she was there and another it was like she vanished into thin air. She was that mysterious girl again, the very vision of her mother standing on that hill top. He remembered walking down the corridor and peering into the room where the twins were for a second. It was only going to be for a second and then he would have carried on down the corridor to look for her but then he noticed something on the floor. He frowned and when he walked through the door all he could remember was a blur of screaming for a doctor, rolling Rosalie over trying to wake her, people coming in, watching Rosalie being carted down the corridor and now everything seemed so still. Now that he had brought himself back to the present and accepted what had happened everything made so much sense, it was no longer a blurry, incomprehensible dream.

The problem was that no matter how many time he went over it in his head he couldn't understand why. Why things had to be this way. He remembered what she told him when she revealed her ability to him. When she told him that there was a flip side to her ability. How life and death went hand in hand in what she could do. He also remembered how her father died. He supposed that after the death of Rosalie's mother he would have probably tried saving as many people as he could. He heard that he had died of old age but how could one have died at old age when he was only in his late forties? The only logical reason to go from was from what Momiji knew about her and her family. He had used up too much life that he could to eventually use up whatever he had left and eventually those two points had collided. Now the same was happening to Rosalie. She had given up too much of her own life to give for those two children. He should have known from the way that she looked at him when she came to the hospital. From the awkward glances. She probably saw this as her way of making up for the death of her mother. Now she was lying in this hospital bed and who knew how long she would be here before she met the same fate as her father? He couldn't let that happen.

"Momiji?"

Momiji didn't respond at first. He took Rosalie hand and closed his eyes wishing the person at the door to go away. He didn't even want to turn to see who it was. He didn't care. All that mattered to him was lying half dead in a hospital bed. He had watched countless films and read so many novels about heartbreak and he could say now that there was a huge different between experiencing them and watching those events unravel. You felt all this empathy for these people but you couldn't really relate to those words before you actually knew what it was to love and to watch that crumble in front of your very eyes.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Momiji...It's time to go."

Momiji gripped Rosalie's hand tighter than he did before. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. She was always the one looking after everyone else. In the early days of them 'dating' he watched how he handled Thora when she was looking for bugs or looking at the flowers in the garden. There was something almost maternal about the way she smiled and pointing things out to the young girl. He remembered he had her hair in a plait with it snaking down one of her shoulders. She looked more beautiful than ever on that day.

"I thought visiting hours didn't apply to us." He tried to joke.

He didn't want to leave her. He wanted to get that across to everyone that there was nothing which would implore him to leave her. She needed looking after now. In all those times she had put herself aside for others and now she needed someone to return that favour. Even though if she could talk to them she wouldn't admit it but Momiji knew that she needed him.

Haru gripped his shoulder. "Momiji...You need to get out of here. You've been here three days straight and...I mean I know you were at classes for the rest of the week but...You can't carry on like this, it isn't healthy."

"I need to be here for her. I need to be here when she wakes up...It's the only way she will-"

"She's going to get better, Momiji. We all know it. We all know how strong she is."

Momiji could feel his eyes stinging with the tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. He was shaking all over and from where Haru was standing it looked like he was about to try throwing a punch at him. Though he knew Momiji didn't have it in him to be violent but there was something about the way he stood there which told Haru that he wasn't going to be moving from that spot any time soon. He just knew that he needed to get out of this place. He needed to return back to life somehow.

"She still needs me." He whispered.

Haru nodded and resisted a typical eye roll as well. He had been in the same position himself when Rin was in hospital. He didn't have the same anxiety of her perhaps being in any mortal danger but he had been there and done that and to be honest, he felt like Momiji was over-reacting just a little bit. Rosalie was a tough girl and he knew she had probably seen worse. No one knew what had put her in this state but there was something in his bones which was telling him she was going to get better.

"I know, but we also need you to get it together. I know...She means a lot to you and I know you mean a lot to her too and to be honest she would give you an ass-kicking if she saw you like this."

Momiji shook his head and Haru knew it would be a mistake to do this but brought him into a hug and he resisted at first but then eventually he gave him and began to cry. He held him there for quite a while before he heard him say something but because he was so unset and had his mouth pressed against his chest he couldn't hear what he was saying. Haru frowned and drew him away and waited patiently.

"Come again?"

"I'm just so scared...I so scared of what will happen if she doesn't wake up."

~ (***) ~

She was always such an enigma. She was one since she was child. Whenever she was stare up at him it would always send shivers down his spine. Although this was only when he knew he had something to hide. It was always so bloody difficult to get into that mind of hers so then you could know what was making the wheels of whatever Yuri was cooking up in her schemes. Maybe once in a while he might have been able to counsel her so that she would go in a different direction to the one which she went in. Sometimes it wasn't just schemes that she thought about though. William knew that much at least. He at least knew that Yuri was capable of dwelling on other things. She was capable of emotion otherwise why did she act the way that she did? He knew there were psychopaths and serial killers who acted out violently because they were completely and utterly without emotion but he knew that Yuri wasn't that complete without emotion. He knew that deep down in that soul of hers, somewhere there were things which happened to her which caused her to be the person she was. He had heard rumours about the way she was treated by the people in their family who were trusted to care for her but these were only rumours. He was sure that in all that anger which she expressed that there was also a lot of pain there as well.

As he watched her there he had to wonder though whether she was thinking about the current events in terms of whether she would be able to gain something from them or perhaps for the first time she touched upon another emotion. One which she made so many others feel...

"Yuri?"

She continued staring out the window and for a while William thought that she might not have heard him. Although it was far more likely that she was just ignoring him.

"What is it?"

Sometimes she sounded snappish, other times she sounded impatient or as if she didn't have the time to even think on what others seemed ludicrous to her to even dwell on. This time she sounded more quiet than anything which just confirmed for William that she was feeling what he suspected she was experiencing.

"Are you thinking about Rosalie?"

She seemed very still for a moment and then slowly turned to him. There was a hint of a smile on her still, unmoving lips. Her eyes had the same cool expression which caused anyone to be afraid of her because it was the same look she had when she did something rather unpredictable.

"Rosalie is never really far from my thoughts...But I suppose there is a reason for that. Even a reason you do not even know my dear, William. I know there are things that you know that not many family members are aware of and I am grateful for you keeping them to yourself. Although with this one particular secret...It is a secret which is best taken to my grave."

William gulped. There was a haunting tone in her voice, well there was always an eerie tone in her voice but there was another reason as to why he thought this at this very moment. It was like she was trying to tell him that something else was going to happen which would change everything.

"You make it sound like that's something which will happen quite soon."

Yuri looked away for a moment in the same mysterious manner which was beginning to increasingly frighten William. He was almost tempted to stride over to her and shake all the answers which lied in that young, little head of hers. He was a doctor for goodness sake and he had no idea how he was going to go about helping his cousin. He knew Yuri had an answer she was just reluctant to tell him.

She smiled cynically. "Who knows? It's human nature to behave like we're all going to live forever. Unfortunately that shall never be the case. It doesn't matter if someone only lives to twenty five or ninety. It's an impossible pursuit. Even for those who run down the blood lines from the likes of Rosalie."

William shook his head a little. It wasn't enough for Yuri to notice but there was a little sly smile on her lips as she intently watched his reaction from what she just said. It was enough to tell him that she knew for sure of a cure or something which would save Rosalie. He had to know. He had to find out how to save her.

"Yuri...Do you know of something which will save her? Do you know whether she might have a chance? Is that the secret you wish to take to your grave?"

His voice was shaking as he said these words aloud. Yuri never punished him the way she punished the others not only because he was older but because he was careful when it came to Yuri.

Yuri rested her cheek on her hand and sighed. "No, William. Despite my past actions I am not that cruel. It is another secret. I do however know that there is a way to save her unfortunately it is the same way which brought her mother's life to an abrupt end. She is weak and if done properly she would be able to take whatever remains of the others life she would live..."

William waited a moment to let this sink in. It sounded ridiculous but logical at the same time. After that was processed then he would have to take the ethical implications into account...

"Who would...I mean...It would have to be one of us...Wouldn't it?"

Yuri smiled. "Yes. Unfortunately, no mere human would do for this sacrifice."

~ (***) ~

He should have known that she was going to come to see him. Isabella was always so predictable when it came to times such as this. It was only because she seemed to know when he was in distress even when she wasn't there. The connection between the two of them had become rather strange like that. It was something which couldn't be scientifically explained and that was something which didn't really rest easy with him.

"Isabella-"

"Tell me what's wrong." She interjected before he could finish.

He sighed knowing that she did this on purpose. She knew that the moment he said something against what she would believe to be the right thing to do in a situation would immediately cause her to back down.

"Yuri told me that...There is a way that Rosalie's life can be saved..." He shook his head. "But it comes at a price. Someone has to give their...life away for her. I have to think about this from a doctors point of view. I mean...How can I allow someone to do that? Even for Rosalie?"

Isabella was looking at him patiently and intently during this mini monologue of his. She was trying to tell him that she was going to be there for him. That everything would be okay.

"I just don't know what to do..."

She shook her head and touched him on the cheek. "Darling, maybe for once this is a decision which may not be up to you..."

~ (***) ~

The hospital corridors were so quiet in the twilight hours. How fitting, Yuri thought as she ghostily glided through them. No one seemed to notice her which made her realise even more that she was supposed to do this. This was what her life was leading up to all along. Even though it wasn't much of a destiny, she wasn't given enough time for her to leave something behind but maybe she would be remembered for doing something good in the end. Opposed to what she spent most of her life doing. It was so strange that she was so calm considering what she was here to do. She didn't quite understand really since she was here to end her life for a person she had spent most of her life despising. No. She didn't actually despise her. She spent most of her life punishing her for making her feel something which she felt she wasn't supposed to feel. Jealousy. Why was it that the head of the family was jealous of someone who cowered at her feet? Recently she had been defying her in more ways than others so really that statement was no longer true but...She was jealous of her because she had the things she thought she was supposed to have. She had the luxuries which Yuri had not been lucky enough to receive. As she stared down at her it was a strange comment for her to make about Rosalie but nevertheless she was luckier than she thought.

She smiled and affectionately took the unconscious Rosalie's hand. She looked so beautiful in this state. Who would have thought that she would look more beautiful sleeping than she did when she was living. She supposed she caused a lot of that pain which prevented her from finding the peace which she deserved. But she wanted that peace too. She actually had a chance, Yuri didn't.

"I think I might tell you a story...Before I go. I know you won't be here to hear this but I suppose if I say it out loud I can at least say that I did tell you...Even if you can't hear me or remember this if you can...You would probably think this was a dream..." She leaned back in the chair and stroked her hand. "There were two sisters and a brother. They were triplets. Joined together in a perfect circle forever. It was supposed to be perfect but then something happened. When they were children, when they were innocent everything was perfect...But when they grew up nothing was to be the same...

'One of them, one of the sisters was a black sheep. She fell in love with the wrong brother from another family, her sister fell in love with the right brother. He loved her, cared for her, he kept his word. The black sheep fell for a man who took everything from her and as a result she was punished by her family because they knew she was going to have that man's baby. That child...Would grow up to hate that family more than anything. The other sister, had a baby from the same blood and they all, both the family's loved that baby. The black sheep's baby was hated, even by the black sheep herself. She would tell that child that she didn't deserve to be loved. She would never be able to experience it. That all she could amount to was being a good head of the family and it was an even greater disappointment that she was a girl. So one day she decided to be a boy. The black sheep and the white sheep died and the brother was sad. But the brother saw that the black sheep died long before she even left this world. So when that passing came he had already mourned for her enough for it to mean nothing to him. So..."

Yuri was choking on her breath at this point. She thought it would be better to tell it as a story. She thought it would be easier for both of them to tell the terrible truth of how closely linked they really were. To tell her how much blood she really shared with her. More than anyone in this family.

"So that was why I hated you. Because you had everything and I had nothing. You were special and I was...I wasn't. I was just the head. The overseer. Someone to fear or blame."

Yuri gave herself a moment to dry her tears. She couldn't believe she was being emotional at such a time. Death was not a time for tears. She would have hated it for people to be crying on her death bed. She sure as Hell hoped that no one cried at her funeral, not that she would imagine them doing so. It was time for courage especially when you were making the choice in actually ending it yourself. She took in a deep breath and looked to that still hand which was she still cradling in her hand. She never had a gentle soul and now she had put all those emotions aside now. On the very eve of her death she was a little afraid but also a little relieved. At least she could throw all those expectations which she had. Not that she had that many. She was more of a person who lived in the present. She looked too frequently in the direction of the past than she did for the future. That was why it was so fitting for her to be giving up her life rather than anyone else in their family. She knew they were beginning to move forward and she was just standing still. She knew Isabella and William were involved with one another. Hilda, Erik and Rosalie were out finding people in the world for them to love. As for Thora, despite what she did to her...Maybe one day she had a chance too. Just not Yuri. It only made sense for her to be the one to do this. Just before she was about to she noticed a shadow stretching across the floor and smiled.

She chuckled. "I suppose I needed a witness..."

"What I'm most surprised about is about that little story you told her."

Yuri jumped at the voice and spun round. The same violet eyes which she shared with Rosalie now stared back at her. It was the only clear marker that they were more closely related than the rest of the world were told.

"It's nothing but the truth." She replied.

Yuki took a step towards his cousins. "I know."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. They both knew that there was nothing which was going to stop Yuri from doing what she was intent of doing long before she arrived at the hospital.

"I don't want her to know the truth." She begged.

Yuki blinked. "I don't understand...Why not?"

Yuri shook her head. "Oh poor boy, I know her better than you. One day you will know her better than I ever will but I know her well enough now that this will destroy her. One day I am sure you will understand. So I am asking you don't ever tell her the truth..."

Yuri wasn't sure what was going on in that head of his during that long wait but all he gave her was a simple nod. There was no goodbye, there was no farewell between the two cousins. Then again they never really were. Yuri turned back to Rosalie and before she could stop herself she took her hand and gave Rosalie perhaps the one thing which could make up for everything which had passed. Perhaps...

~ (***) ~

_So that's all there was to it. I had to sacrifice myself for her. I suppose I deserved it, she deserved her fate. All I had to leave behind for her to remember that she wasn't to mess up the second chance she had at life and maybe there was a chance of people remembering me more fondly than they thought of me when I was alive. I know I made a lot of mistakes when it came to the way I treated my family but at the same time I can say that I was somewhat justified in the choices which I made but I supposed everyone feels that way. As much as all those things which could be considered as less than moral is brought to your attention at the dawn of your death. Those little things which you always felt deep inside you which you could have done differently is really brought to your attention only at the moment when you have no time to actually make up for those terrible things which you did. I supposed I could have felt regret at the moment of my death, but I also felt something resembling redemption in saving Rosalie's life. I suppose, that could have made up for some of the terrible things which I did. Maybe not all, but maybe enough to be forgiven by her. After all I wronged her a thousand times over in comparison to the many others..._


	44. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fruits Basket

**A/S: **OH MY GOD THE LAST CHAPTER! AHHHH! Seriously, I have been writing this story forever and as much as I love the comments and reviews and so on and so forth it has been a long period of actually...You know...It's been a long time and for my other stories it has not nearly taken me this long to actually finish it. I mean it's my longest one so far which might be the reason but still its taken me a while which is why I am so appreciative of the fact its been so well received.

Thank you's. Thank you's. WHO DO I THANK FIRST?

Okay running through those who have just favourited me, alerted me and reviewed...chained2love, d92512, DarkAngelNeko666, Ganzyyy, Venas, skycloud9,jigokunooujo, JR Cloud, Lovemeg101, Simple Shimmers, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, animguswolfsong, CharlotteHeartsGears,RMB1993, devine42,,Kanika Kiku,d92512, Simple Shimmers,BabiBunchez, skyko, ,candysfan,Asakane Kotoro,Nasu Hasami, Christian-Aya, Shadow'sMelody, konekoko, Rain-chan and many many many more. (Seriously guys there's like a mini army of you!)

But most of all of course...PeaceLightVictory (of course, of course, of course. Round of applause for this dedicated little fan. Well not little fan. BIG FAN! BIG FAN!)

Anyway shutting up now and here is the final chapter...

**Epilogue**

For **h8rt4u**

_So what's it all add up to? It's hard to say. But me, I'd say this was a test... for Sam and Dean. And I think they did all right. Up against, Good, Evil, angels, devils, Destiny, and God himself, they made their own choice. They chose family. And, well... isn't that kinda the whole point? No doubt- endings are hard. But then again...nothing ever really ends, does it?_

_~ **Swan Song, Supernatural**_

~ (***) ~

He looked tired. But at the same time he looked like he had just woken up from the best sleep in his life. William rubbed his eyes and reached out for his coffee. Isabella watched him quietly as he ate his breakfast. She liked the way that he was pretending that everything was just as it had always been. Like nothing had changed in the slightest when he knew deep down that they were all in for something which neither of them could have expected for themselves. Even in this lifetime. How they were going to go about doing this was the big question.

"How was she? When she woke up?"

William grunted. "She was fine."

Isabella gave him a look. "William..."

William glanced up at her with a somewhat innocent look and shrugged his shoulders. She rolled her eyes and sighed. He wanted to pretend.

"William don't pretend like she was relieved by all this, let alone okay with everything that had happened."

He shook his head. "Of course she wasn't."

Isabella blinked at him. "Why are you getting mad at me William?"

William looked like he was about to throw his plate in the air and for the first in his life actually have a moment mixed with irrationality and anger. Although he just sat there and clenched his fists. Even though Yuri was gone now he was still holding all those things back. All those things which he wanted to be able to say. All those things he wanted to do.

"I'm not mad at you...I'm just...I just wish that everything could just be..."

Before he could say anything else he felt someone wrap their arms around him. He felt like a little child again for a moment and most of the time he hated feeling like he was helpless. He hated the idea of being unable to find a solution and he couldn't even bring himself to admitting the way he felt about what was going on at the moment.

"I know you're very, very tired, William. I know what that feels like but there's nothing wrong with admitting to that. There's nothing wrong with taking breaks or wanting to take a break from your responsibilities and before you wouldn't be able to afford to have such luxuries. But now...Now I think everything's going to be okay..."

He wanted to believe her. He really did want to bloody believe in what she was saying but there was his logical side telling him that there was something else which they had to be mindful of.

William scoffed. "How can you be so sure?"

She should have expected him to behave like the sceptic. He always was after all. It was so strange that for them in the end for them to be drawn to one another considering that they were both so different...

Isabella drew his face away and stared down at him with a maternal expression on her face. "William this is me you're talking to...Of course I know it's going to be okay."

~ (***) ~

Erik was tired. When he came in he felt like he just wanted to throw himself on the bed and sleep but before he even got his bag off his back a shadow passed over him and threw him onto the bed weighing him down so he couldn't sit up.

"SURPRISE!"

He groaned and sat up. "Kimi..."

The bright eyed girl tilted her head. "How did you know it was Kimi?"

He smirked. "Wild guess. What are you doing here my sweet?"

She clapped her hands. "Kimi came to surprise you!"

Erik tilted her head and smiled a softly. Before he would have tried to hurry her out the house but now that Yuri was gone he had no need to hide away the people he loved and wanted to be with any more. Still it was kind of sad really. Everyone knew the reasons for why Yuri died. Everyone had learned the truth about something other things about Yuri as well but it was too late to allow those things to change their opinions about their old head of the family.

"Is Erik sad?"

Erik shook his head. "No...No I just miss someone..."

Kimi tilted her head again. "Who?"

Erik glanced up at her and contemplated actually telling her about Yuri for a moment and then decided against it. One of the things he liked about Kimi was that she was like a child. She was innocent but at the same time she was more aware about some things than people gave her credit for. In a way, you had to work at it to actually really understand her even when people thought that they had her sussed out before she even spoke. The fact that he knew that little secret made him feel good about himself. That was why he could sympathise with Yuri, that little act of goodness may have made up for all the other crappy things he had done in the past.

"Just someone who...Someone in our family."

Kimi looked a little sad for a moment and reached out and patted Erik on the head. "Poor Erik..."

He chuckled and took her wrist and kissed her hand like a gentleman. "No...Things a little better now. You see Kimi, you know when you have relatives who...Well old relatives and when they get ill or get too old its hard to watch them in those last few years when they're still alive and when they're gone its almost a relief as much as its also sad...Do you understand?"

Kimi had a contemplative look on her face. "Kimi thinks she understands..."

"Well...I suppose its kind of like that..."

It was a little bit of a lie since Erik would have like to have seen what would have happened if Yuri had survived. Maybe they would have tried being like a normal family like the Sohmas. They had all been able to survive without dying at the end of their little calamity. Although not everything turns out alright in the end.

"Can't get everything can we?" He murmured.

"Hm?"

Erik had almost forgotten that Kimi was there and smiled. "Nothing, sweetie."

~ (***) ~

"So she's..."

"Dead. Yes. She died."

Hilda's voice was emotionless and very matter-of-fact. A bit too much for Satomi's liking but then again she was never really sure about the kind of family life Hilda had been subjected to when she was growing up. Like her cousin, she seemed to avoid that topic of conversation. When people asked whether they had any brothers and or sisters, when you asked a Laurent this they charmingly tried to change the subject. Satomi wished she knew how she could help her but she wasn't even sure whether Hilda was traumatized by this experience or not.

"I wish you could just tell me what you needed..."

Hilda smiled affectionately and took Satomi's wrist stroking it a little. "I'm fine, Darling. We're all going to be fine now..."

Satomi smiled with relief although she knew she felt anything but. "Good. For a moment I thought you were just hiding it."

Hilda chuckled. "You know me so well, my dear."

Satomi smiled a little sceptically on this note knowing that deep down she wasn't entirely sure about Hilda. There were some things which she said which could be taken one way or another. She was so allusive and clever with the way that she spoke to people. She never talked about her past relationships but she was pretty damn sure that she had more than a little experience with other women. There were other things which made her wonder whether there was something which she was trying to hide from her. For a moment she thought that she was sleeping with someone else or that there was someone back home which she was supposed to be with and that Satomi was just a holiday fling. When she considered this she tried rationalising to herself that she could only hope to be with someone like Hilda for a short while. She was like a goddess with the way her skin glowed and how her eyes danced when she looked at you. Although a few mornings later when she woke up with Hilda sleeping peacefully by her side it made her re-consider this conclusion. Anyone who treated you like you were nothing to them would never sleep beside you until dawn. She then at that point that she must have been hiding something else. Something worse, she was even more scared than before and it wasn't for herself. She was scared for Hilda. She knew that there was something else which was out to get her. She just didn't know what.

"Sometimes I think I don't..." Satomi murmured.

Hilda who was looking out into space for a moment caught her words and a serious expression spread across her face. Some would have thought that she looked a little bewildered at first but then she saw how sad Satomi looked. She took her hand.

"I suppose I am to blame for that mostly..." She paused. "I...I'll make sure that you never feel that way again..."

Satomi gave her a look. "How?"

Hilda smiled with a little amusement. "Well...I suppose I have a story to tell you..."

~ (***) ~

Thora was padding about the house when she found him. The first thing which occurred to her when she found him was that he looked sad. He was the only one who was sad about Yuri's passing but then again he was the only one who was ever really loyal to her. No one ever understood why and Thora was just as scared by Faron as she was by Yuri so she never dared to ask him. She was a little startled at first she had to admit. He was sitting on the ground so he should have been easy to see but he was always like a shadow. You could always see him but he was always concealing something from sight at the same time. Or it might be that you could see him coming but you were so petrified that you could never see who it was. She didn't ask him anything since she hadn't brought herself to speak again for a while. The only person she communicated with was Rosalie and that was because she was the only one who was able to understand. She was the only one who knew what it was like to suffer at the hands of Yuri. Although now that she was dead she should have been relieved but she couldn't help but feel like she was still there. She could still feel her hovering about in the air. She wasn't completely gone yet and to be honest, she thought she was a bit too restless, too unearthly for her to be able to actually leave this place when she died.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Thora nodded timidly and he finally glanced in her direction. "You still can't talk? You're too scared to talk but I suppose you don't have anything to be scared of any more do you?"

His voice was scornful and Thora should have been frightened off by this but she could sense the reason why he was sounding like this. The corner of her mouth jerked into a little smile for a moment and patted him on the shoulder. He looked a little surprised at first and looked over his shoulder and took her little hand in his paw.

"I suppose it might be okay...One day..."

Thora smiled and tilted her head to the side. He sighed knowing that she was probably waiting for him to pour out more of his guts when he really wasn't in the mood.

"I suppose...The hardest part it letting go of someone you loved and hated at the same time. She treated me...Well she treated me the way she treated me. There's no going back on that now. But I wish things could have turned out differently...I mean." He smirked cynically. "The girl I loved, really loved is with someone else and would probably never consider being with anyone else but him so...And the only thing I had to live for was serving, Yuri."

Thora was watching him quietly, taking everything in like a vacuum. It wasn't like she was going to be relaying this to anyone else in the near future. She had a smile on her face now, it was more than just a hint of one or a ghost of a smile. It was blatantly obvious that she was smiling. He wasn't sure whether she was doing this make him feel better or whether she was just doing this for the sake of smiling. He supposed people had more things to smile about these days...

"So what do I have left?"

She looked like she was going to answer him for a moment but she had forgotten how to speak or form the word. Nevertheless he appreciated the thought.

~ (***) ~

It had been a few weeks now and it was still difficult to process the fact that she was now gone for good. It was so strange that she no longer had to live by her rules any more. She still had her powers but maybe this was her only way to be free and she saw now that such grand wishes didn't come without having to give something back. She knew there would be no peace, perhaps, but at least she had something. She had spent the entire time wondering why she did it. She questioned herself as to why Yuri would do such a thing for her but then she decided that to be honest she shouldn't really go any further with it. She just appreciate the fact that she actually did something for her in the end. For a while Rosalie actually began to see that Yuri wasn't so bad after all, maybe that there was something which made her seem more human and more capable of being able to empathise with. Yet, she always knew that would never be enough to make up for all that psychological trauma which she caused her. She tortured her for goodness sake. One act of selflessness was never going to be enough to make up for all of that. If anything, it at least proved that Yuri was a little bit human. She looked out on the lake feeling like she was a little bit peaceful for a moment but she knew Yuri would eventually return to her thoughts. It was almost like she was a part of her now, which she technically was.

She felt Momiji's arm wrap around her shoulders. "Everything's alright now, I suppose."

She smiled cynically. "That's a strange conclusion to draw to."

Momiji shrugged his shoulders. "Well you're still here."

Rosalie turned away with a sad expression on her face. Momiji glanced down at her knowing that in a sense he had spoken out of term. Yuri never treated her well but nevertheless she was family and a huge part of her life. Sometimes, even to those who treated you so horribly, it was hard to say goodbye.

"Don't you think it's easier this way? Being without her now you can live as you wish..."

She scoffed. "I'm free. But I'm always going to think about her. I'm never going to forget about her. Especially knowing what she did for me. In a strange way she was the one who kept me from being free and in the end she was the only one who could give it to me...Epic irony in my opinion."

Momiji didn't like seeing her like this. She wasn't appreciating the fact that she was still alive. He couldn't understand why she couldn't see that she had been given a second chance. Most people would be trying to live life to the fullest, turning to the future rather than being stuck in the past.

Momiji sighed and took her hand. "You're behaving like you're the one who should have died."

"To be fair, it would have been the only way for me to be both free and at peace."

Momiji gave her a look. "Well we can't have everything..."


End file.
